Howling with the Storm
by whoson1st
Summary: Rose spent two years rewriting her history with the Doctor, and now they finally have their chance at forever. But as new friends and foes alike appear, new challenges come with them. Can the Doctor and Rose live happily ever after? What is that supposed to look like anyway? Sequel to The Wolf and the Thief, and a rewrite of season 3. Now complete.
1. Previously

_**So, as the summary says, this is a sequel to The Wolf and the Thief. For those who are reading this and really don't want to read that first (though I strongly suggest you do) here's the last chapter to catch you up to speed a little. For those of you that did read the first one, just skip ahead to the next chapter. Allons-y!**_

**oOoOo**

The Doctor spent the next two weeks between calculations and deep scans to find a way for Rose to say goodbye to Jackie and spending as much time as possible with the girl herself. He'd been horrified to learn the specifics of what she'd gone through in the parallel world, having her own mother forget her, having the father she'd never known fight for her and lose, over and over, all without having any hint as to what was happening—compounded by guilt that he'd actually suggested she go back there, regardless of whether he'd been in a position to know what would happen or not. She'd told him exactly what had happened in the Rift Chamber as well, the way he'd tricked her into leaving, the way she's come back, and the manner in which she'd ultimately ended up trapped there anyway. He couldn't imagine the pain he would have felt had he watched her get pulled towards the Void.

Rose didn't know any real specifics about what had happened to him after he lost her, and the TARDIS wasn't offering up anything more than she already had. She had only been able to retrieve those moments while they still existed in potential; now that time had been rewritten, those images would be impossible to play back, even for her. Probably for the best. The Doctor had dark enough moments while Rose had been comatose—he couldn't imagine the despair of losing her completely in such a way.

He was still stunned at what she had gone through the last two years. He could understand now why she had started sounding so much like him. Reliving those adventures gave her a unique perspective, and she'd come as close to seeing the universe the way he did as anyone who wasn't a Time Lord could. He could see why the TARDIS had sent her back so far—all the oddness, as well as the personality change, would have been impossible to ignore if he's already known her at all—but he hated that she'd had to go through all that, all the loss, all the guilt, all over again. He couldn't, however, hide the pride he felt when she did recount some of the specifics that she'd changed, how hard she'd fought, the people that had survived because of her.

He'd found out soon after the battle that both her and Jackie were listed as dead. He'd offered to get her name at least taken off the list, but she'd refused. She said it would provide closure for the people still left behind, the family and friends. Without Jackie there, it just wasn't home anymore. Let those that still remained mourn for them and move on.

When they weren't talking about the more morbid subjects, though, the Doctor was delighted just to sit and watch her. Now that she wasn't living in the shadow of her own secret, she sparkled again. There was still grief over the fact that she wouldn't see her mother again, except maybe to say goodbye, but she knew what her mother's life would be, and how much happiness it would be filled with. After all, she'd been there the first time. So as much as it hurt, she didn't allow it to detract from her happiness that she could stay with him. He was still floored that she loved him that much, and was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that she was actually going to last.

Not that he was complaining. About anything. He hadn't even panicked when, the day after she'd regained consciousness, he'd woken up to see her sitting next to him on his bed, holding out a mug of tea and wearing _his_ shirt—that only had appeared to have four buttons still attached. He still craved the telepathic connection that Time Lords created with their mates, quite badly, but the ache wasn't nearly as excruciating as loving her while he'd thought she had a human lifespan had been. This was a pain he would take gladly if that was all he had to bear.

For Rose's part, she was on cloud 9. The nightmare battle was over, the war against Time itself had been won. She was finally free to live happily ever after with the Doctor, and happy it was indeed. He had taken everything so much better than she'd dared to hope, and the Doctor from her nightmares had never even factored in. He still loved her, and he still wanted her—he was even trying to find a way to say goodbye to Jackie for her.

She knew that it would take a while for it to fully hit her that she'd never see her mother again, probably not until after she'd said goodbye, and she was already mourning the loss of the family she'd never be able to have with her and Pete, but it was better this way. While things had fallen into place almost immediately for her parents, life in the other universe had been a constant struggle for Rose from day one, a struggle that had only gotten worse when she'd finally realized what was happening to her. Jackie had a chance to be happier than she'd ever been, and at least now she wouldn't forget Rose—hopefully being able to say goodbye would convince her mum that she was just as happy.

She knew the Doctor still harbored some guilt about the fact that, if it wasn't for him, she would never have had to do any of it. But, as she told him, if it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't have had a life worth fighting so hard for. For the first nineteen years of her life, nothing happened. Nothing at all. Not ever. And then she'd met the Doctor. A man who could change his face. And he took her away from home in his magical machine, and showed her the whole of time and space. Together, they'd fought, and they'd laughed, and they'd loved. And now it never had to end.

oOoOo

The Doctor beamed when he found it. He knew it could be done…after all, he'd done it. But that didn't stop him from a hearty self-congratulation when he found the crack and the perfect power source for Rose to say her goodbye. As soon as he was sure of his findings, he went off to give her the good news. He found her in the library, and whistled as he sauntered in. This wasn't the only surprise he had for her.

"I've found your supernova, love," he said, taking a seat next to her on the sofa, beaming when her face lit up. "And a crack. I'll help you get a message through to lead her to the right place, then I'll patch in something visual so you can see each other."

She threw her arms around his neck. "That's just…brilliant," she said. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Of course, Rose," he said, pulling back a little. "I promised, right? Catch me breaking promises to you," he added with a wink. "Oh, and there is one other thing."

She pulled back further and shifted, looking at him expectantly.

"I've decided that you were right," he said. "That chain was just entirely too cluttered."

"You…you took the charms?" she stammered. She'd asked about the chain when she found he'd taken it off while she was sleeping, but he'd evaded explanations, simply saying he needed it for something.

He nodded. "Couldn't even get to the key anymore. Completely ridiculous design. Don't know why I ever did it in the first place." He took a sideways glance at her and saw her swallow hard. "Soooo…I decided that a bracelet for them would make more sense," he went on, tugging the new bracelet out of his pocket, complete with every charm—the TARDIS, the snowflake, the crescent moon, the star, the mistletoe, the forget me nots, the angel wings, the dream catcher, the silhouettes, the cross with roses engraved in it, the lightning bolt and the torch. He held it up to her, watching it glitter in the firelight.

"May I?" he asked softly, holding out his other hand. She nodded mutely and gave him her arm, letting him slip the bracelet around her wrist and clasp it with the sonic. He smiled when she held up her arm, examining it with a small smile.

"And the key?" she asked, tearing her gaze away from the beautiful bracelet.

"Right, that," he said, as if he'd completely forgotten about that part. "Have that too." He pulled it out of another pocket and handed it to her with hands that shook slightly.

There were only two charms on the chain now; one heart on either side of the key. There were silver scars running across the bright red surface of each one.

"Be careful with those, Rose," he said softly. "That's—" he swallowed hard. "That's everything I have to give. They're not perfect. But they're yours."

When she looked back at him with tears shining in her eyes. She put a hand on his cheek before leaning forward to kiss him softly.

oOoOo

Jackie Tyler woke with a start. She looked around the dark room, at her husband sleeping next to her. What in the hell?

_Mum_.

"Rose?" Jackie looked around bewildered for another moment before shaking her husband awake. "Pete, Pete wake up! It's Rose!"

She told him about the dream, and about hearing her again after being awake. He listened quietly, then called Mickey. They sat in front of the fire and she told her story again. They knew the Doctor. They believed her. They piled in Pete's old jeep and took off. They drove for miles and miles, following Rose's voice.

They finally stopped at a deserted beach at the back of beyond. Pete and Mickey stayed with the jeep as Jackie walked away, searching for any sign of her daughter.

"Mum," she heard finally, and turned to see her daughter standing there, slightly transparent.

"Where are you," Jackie asked, moving toward her.

"Inside the TARDIS," Rose replied. "There's this tiny gap left, but it's just about to close. It takes a lot of power to even do this. We're orbiting around a supernova." She glanced away and laughed softly. "The Doctor is burning up a sun just so I can say goodbye."

"You look like a ghost," Jackie said, shaking her head.

"Hold on," she heard the Doctor's voice call. He came up behind Rose and pointed his sonic thingy at something, and suddenly they looked solid. Jackie stepped closer and moved to touch her daughter's cheek.

"Can I—"

"Still just an image," the Doctor said, sounding regretful. "No touch."

"Can't you come through properly?"

They both shook their heads at her. "The whole thing would fracture," the Doctor said.

"Both universes would collapse," Rose added.

"So?" Jackie laughed a little as her daughter smiled, but she was only half joking.

"Where are we?" the Doctor asked suddenly, looking around. "Where did the gap come out?"

"Bloody Norway," Jackie said with a little irritated noise. "A place called Darlig Ulv Stranden."

"Dalek?" The Doctor's voice was sharp.

"DAR-lig," Jackie said, shaking her head. "Norwegian for 'bad.' Yeah, this place, it translates as 'Bad Wolf Bay'. Cheery, eh?"

The Doctor started at the name, and looked at Rose with a stunned expression. The serene smile her daughter wore confused Jackie, but then, Rose had been confusing her for a long time.

"How long have we got?" she asked.

Rose glanced at the Doctor. "About two minutes," he said softly.

"I can't think what to say!"

Rose glanced at the jeep. "Still got Mickey hanging around then? And…Dad?"

"Five of us now," Jackie said. "Mickey and his gran moved into the mansion. Can you believe it, me in a mansion?" The Doctor gave a little snort, and Rose shushed him. "Well, there's them, and the baby…"

"Mum!"

Jackie grinned broadly and touched her stomach. "Three months gone. Pete's proud as punch. Not that it could replace you," she added, a touch sadly.

The Doctor and Rose smiled at her. "I'm so happy for you," Rose said, ignoring the tears that sprang to her eyes.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "You're dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day, and you'd both gone missing. You're on the list of the dead."

"Rose too?"

"Easier that way, Mum," the girl assured her softly. "I've got nothing I want to go back to there…not anymore."

"Am I ever gonna see you again?" She started crying as Rose bit her lip and shook her head sadly.

"You can't," the Doctor said softly.

"I love you, sweetheart," Jackie said, watching the tears fall from her daughter's eyes and aching to hold her. "Don't you ever forget that. And forget what I said before. This is your life, the one that makes you happy." Rose nodded. "As for you," Jackie went on, watching the Doctor. "Don't you forget that she chose you. You keep her safe, and you keep her happy, or I promise you, I'll find a way back just to slap you."

The Doctor looked genuinely terrified for a moment, then nudged Rose.

"I love you, Mum. I'm so sorry," Rose said, but Jackie gave a little shake of her head. "Give Pete and Mickey hugs, tell that baby of yours that I love him, and…and be happy, Mum."

With that, both of them disappeared. Jackie sank to her knees, sobbing. Pete ran to her, holding her close as she wept.

oOoOo

As soon as her mother disappeared, Rose turned and leaned into the Doctor's chest as he put his arms around her and the tears started falling more freely.

"All these universes…not one gets it just right," the Doctor said softly against her hair. "I'm sorry, love. I'm so sorry."

It was another minute or two before she could respond.

"It's not your fault," she said when she was finally able to look up at him. "This is better for her. Better than waiting around for me, getting older while I stay the same, in and out of her life. She has Pete, and the baby. I have you. It's okay. It's gonna be…fantastic."

He searched her eyes for a moment before his lips twitched and he leaned down and kissed her softly. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, both simply needing to hold the other close for a moment.

"Thank you, Doctor," she said quietly after a moment.

He pulled away fractionally, touching her cheek as he opened his mouth to say something, but something seemed to catch his eye over her shoulder.

"What?" he asked, sounding stunned.

Rose turned just as the redheaded woman near the doors did. Her eyes widened as the woman yelped in surprise.

"What?" the Doctor asked again behind her.

"Who are you?" the woman asked disdainfully.

"But—" Rose started, looking around. Where the hell had she come from?

"Where am I?"

"Doctor—"

"What the hell is this place?" the woman shouted, interrupting her again.

"WHAT?" shouted the Doctor.

oOoOo

She danced in her orbit around the dying star. The beginnings of a new adventure, one that would no doubt be fraught with peril and danger. But the Thief wouldn't have to do it alone this time, not ever again. Her Wolf and Her Thief, the stuff of legend, could skip through the stars together forever, creating new hope and beauty through time and space.

The Doctor and Rose Tyler, in the TARDIS…just as it should be.


	2. The Runaway Bride Part 1

**_I know I said I was shooting for Friday, but I got bored not having anything to update, and I have the most awesome beta ever, so this got done sooner than expected. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up the same update schedule I had with the first one. This one is tougher, because inserting a whole other character is a lot more tricky than just making a few changes. Hope it works out alright._**

**_Cover art by the very talented BloodyDeath11 on deviantART._**

**oOoOo**

_The Doctor searched Rose's eyes for a moment before his lips twitched and he leaned down and kissed her softly. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, both simply needing to hold the other close for a moment._

"_Thank you, Doctor," she said quietly after a moment._

_He pulled away fractionally, touching her cheek as he opened his mouth to say something, but something seemed to catch his eye over her shoulder. _

_"What?" he asked, sounding stunned._

_Rose turned just as the redheaded woman near the doors did. Her eyes widened as the woman yelped in surprise._

_"What?" the Doctor asked again behind her._

_"Who are you?" the woman asked disdainfully._

_"But—" Rose started, looking around. Where the hell had she come from?_

_"Where am I?"_

_"Doctor—" _

_"What the hell is this place?" the woman shouted, interrupting her again._

"WHAT?" shouted the Doctor. "You can't do that, I wasn't..."

"Hold on, we're in flight!" Rose cut in when he trailed off with a confused look on his face. "How is that even possible?"

"It's not!" the Doctor said, jumping to the console fiddling with controls furiously.

"Tell me where I am," the woman commanded. "I demand you tell me right now - where am I?"

"Inside the TARDIS," the Doctor told her, dumbfounded.

"The what?"

"The TARDIS," Rose said, stepping toward her warily.

"The what?"

"The TARDIS!" they shouted in unison, exasperated. The Doctor turned to fiddle with the controls again, muttering to himself.

"The what?" the woman said again, and the Doctor glanced up briefly, completely annoyed. Rose took a deep breath.

"This thing," she said gently, gesturing around her. "It's called the TARDIS."

"That's not even a proper word," the woman said. "You're just saying things."

"How did you get in here?" the Doctor cut in before Rose could say anything else, stepping away from the controls.

"Well, obviously, when you kidnapped me," the woman said angrily. "Who was it? Who's paying you? Is it Nerys? Oh, my God, she's finally got me back. This has got Nerys written all over it."

"Who the hell is Nerys?" he asked, eyeing her up and down.

"Your best friend," the woman spat out.

"Oookay, just hold on, just…wait," Rose said, stepping between them. "We don't know a Nerys, never have. We didn't kidnap you, we weren't even near the controls when you popped up." Rose eyed her for second. "Hold on, what're you dressed like that for?"

"I'm going ten pin bowling," Donna said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why do you think, Blondie? I was halfway up the aisle!"

The Doctor jumped back to the controls, and Rose followed, pulling a face while Donna ranted.

"You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?" she asked quietly.

"No idea," he said, staring at a monitor. "It is physically impossible to—No, wait a minute!" he shouted, looking up. Rose turned to see Donna running for the doors. They both bolted around the console after her. "Wait a minute, don't—"

But the bride had already made it to the doors and thrown them open. They went to stand next to her, the Doctor wrapping an arm around Rose's shoulders and pulling her back against his chest as they stared out at the supernova they were still orbiting around.

"You're in space," he said softly. "Outer Space. This is my...space-ship. It's called the 'TARDIS'."

"How am I breathing?" she asked, stunned.

"That's the TARDIS," Rose said. "She's protecting us."

"Who are you?"

"My name's Rose, and this is the Doctor," she said. "You?"

"Donna," the bride replied in a small voice.

"Human?" the Doctor asked, eyeing her.

"Yeah," she said. "Is that optional?"

Rose snorted and the Doctor shrugged. "Well, it is for us," he said.

"You're aliens," Donna said flatly.

"Yeah," he said. "Well, I am. Rose is human. Well...mostly. Um."

Rose shivered. "You've got to be freezing, Donna," she said, reaching for the doors. The Doctor released her as she slammed the doors shut, running back to the console.

"But I don't understand it and I understand everything!" he shouted. "This—this can't happen! There is no way a Human Being can lock itself onto the TARDIS and transport itself inside. It must be…" he trailed off, and grabbed an ophthalmoscope, using it to look in Donna's eyes. The woman seemed paralyzed in confusion, though Rose watched her become more impatient as the Doctor's technobabble went on. "Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell. Maybe something macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a genetic—" He was cut off when Donna slapped him. "What was that for?" he asked indignantly while Rose was honestly torn between defending him and laughing hysterically.

"Get me to the church!" Donna shouted.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at Rose momentarily, before jumping for the console again. "Right! Fine! I don't want you here anyway!" he cried. "Where is this wedding?"

"Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System," Donna said, her volume growing with each word. She glanced around, then stepped toward Rose. "You know, you can tell me if you're being held here against your will," she said in a stage whisper, touching Rose's arm.

"I'm...what?" Rose said, staring at her.

"I mean, I've heard about this," Donna said, casting a suspicious glance at the Doctor, who raised an eyebrow at them. "People falling for their captors. Stackem Syndrome."

Now Rose did burst into laughter, while the Doctor looked absolutely horrified.

"Stockholm Syndrome," Rose said, wiping tears from her eyes. "It's called Stockholm Syndrome. And no, that's not it at all. I want to be here. I love it."

Donna eyed her, clearly disbelieving this. "What'd he mean by 'mostly human'?"

"Oh, that's a…long story," Rose said. "But honestly, I'm fine."

"Yeah, well, I'm getting out before you can try any of that Martian Mind Control on me," Donna said, rounding on the Doctor again. "Not getting me under your spell."

"Never crossed my mind," he assured her, shooting Rose a look of complete disbelief. "Right! Chiswick."

She exchanged another look with the Doctor when the TARDIS landed with extreme difficulty.

"Doctor, what's wrong with her?" she asked as they followed Donna out.

"Dunno," he said with a frown, reaching up to stroke the side. "It's like she's...recalibrating. Rose, stay with Donna, keep an eye on her," he said, running back inside.

"I said 'Saint Mary's'," Donna said angrily, looking around. "What sort of Martians are you? Where's this?"

"Um...not completely sure," Rose said, glancing around. "Something went wrong with her…Donna, have you had any alien contact? Seen anything strange, like lights in the sky or—" she turned when Donna didn't answer. "Donna?"

Rose looked around to see Donna staring at the box that was obviously too small to fit the room she'd just been in. Rose cursed silently as Donna ran around it. Her expression grew more and more horrified, until she pushed Rose aside to look inside again. She backed out with her hands over her mouth, turned on her heel and sped away.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, hurrying after Donna. "Donna," she called softly as she fell into step with the woman.

"Leave me alone," she said tearfully. "I just want to get married."

"I know," Rose said in a soothing tone. "We'll get you there. We'll figure it out. Just...come back to the TARDIS," she urged as the Doctor caught up.

"No way," Donna said, shaking her head. "That box is too...weird."

"It's...bigger on the inside, that's all," Rose said, touching her arm lightly.

"Oh! That's all?" Donna asked sarcastically, then sighed dramatically as she checked her watch. "Ten past three. I'm gonna miss it."

"You can phone them," the Doctor suggested. "Tell them where you are."

"How do I do that?" she snapped.

"Haven't you got a mobile?" he asked, and Rose nudged him in the ribs. He glanced down at her, his face the picture of injured innocence.

"I'm in my wedding dress," Donna said, stopping to stare at him. "It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets? When I went to my fitting, do you think I said 'Alison, the one thing I forgot to say is give me pockets'?"

The Doctor stared back at her for a moment. "This man you're marrying—what's his name?"

"Lance," she said in a dreamy voice.

"Good luck, Lance," he said.

Rose smirked, but elbowed him again, mouthing the word 'rude' before pulling her mobile out of her pocket. She tried to hand it to Donna, but was ignored.

"Oi!" she yelled. "No stupid Martians are gonna stop me from getting married. To hell with you both!"

"I'm—I'm not...we're not... I'm not from Mars," the Doctor said feebly as she ran off again. He glanced guiltily at Rose. "Rude and not ginger..."

"Hey, she looked plenty ginger," Rose said with a snort, and he smirked. "But…her wedding day just got ruined, so I think she gets a pass. Here, take this," she said, handing over her phone. "I'll stay with the TARDIS."

"Right," he said, jogging off. "Sure it isn't the Stackem Syndrome that keeps you around?" he called, turning and jogging backwards for a moment with a grin.

"Nah," she said, grinning back. "The Martian Mind Control was plenty."

He shook he head with a laugh and turned as he rounded the corner. She turned and walked slowly back to the TARDIS. It was weird, finally having an adventure that she didn't know anything about. She couldn't help but wonder if this had happened to him last time, after he'd said goodbye to her. She quickly pushed the thought away. She could go mad with the what ifs. At least the mystery of the appearing bride kept her from thinking too much about her family across the void.

oOoOo

The Doctor cursed as he sprinted back to the TARDIS. He hadn't been able to convince Donna to come back to the TARDIS—instead, he'd lost her. In a cab. Driven by a robot. Pilot fish, again. What was it with Christmas on this planet?

"Doors!" he shouted as he ran, and Rose pushed off from where she was leaning against the side to unlock the doors quickly. He pulled her in and slammed the doors behind them before running for the console.

"What happened?" Rose asked, following quickly.

"Donna got in a cab that was being driven by a Pilot fish," he said quickly, running around the controls.

"Oh, is it Christmas already?" she asked.

He looked up and grinned. "Amazing isn't it? But I can lock onto it, and find her, get her back in here."

"But why are they after her?" Rose asked.

"No idea," he said. "But I can't find out if we don't get her back."

He concentrated on steering for a moment, smacking the console with a hammer and ordering the TARDIS to behave when it tilted dangerously to one side.

"Hold on, are we actually...like...flying?" Rose asked suddenly.

"Um...yes. She doesn't like it much," the Doctor said, peering at a monitor. "So listen, that lever there, you're going to hold on to that. When I say, you push it forward, right?"

"Right," she said, moving quickly over to it as he ran for the doors. As he opened it, he saw the motorway speeding by, with Donna's taxi directly in front him. "Be careful!" Rose shouted from behind him.

_Thanks, sweetheart, I wasn't going to do that without a warning_, he thought uncharitably. At least he hadn't said it out loud this time.

"Open the door!" he yelled at Donna in the taxi.

"Do what?" she yelled back.

"Open the door!" he repeated.

"I can't, it's locked!" she shouted back. He made a frustrated noise in his throat, then leaned against the side of the door to pull out his sonic screwdriver. He pointed it at the door, and Donna pushed the window down. "Santa's a robot," she said, shocked.

He rolled his eyes. "Donna, open the door."

"What for?"

"You've got to jump!"

"I'm not bleedin' flip jumping," she screamed, incredulous. "I'm supposed to be getting married!"

He made another frustrated noise as the taxi suddenly sped up and away from him.

"Rose, now!" he called into the TARDIS, hanging on as she put on a burst of speed. He heard her shriek, and looked back to see random explosions happening around the console and cursed, nearly falling out as the ship banged onto the top of another car and against the motorway itself before finally falling back in line with the taxi. He pulled himself back up, glancing back inside. Rose gave him a thumbs up, and he turned back to the taxi. "Listen to me—you've got to jump," he yelled.

"I'm not jumping on a motorway," Donna shouted back obstinately.

"Whatever that thing is, it needs you," he explained hurriedly. "And whatever it needs you for, it's not good. Now, come on!"

"I'm in my wedding dress!"

"Yes! You look lovely!" he shouted, exasperated. "Come on!"

Donna opened the door and inched toward the edge as the Doctor held his arms out to catch her. She looked up at him in panic.

"I can't do it," she said fearfully.

"Trust me," he said, calm as he could. He saw her eyes flit behind him to Rose. "Years, Donna. She's been with me years. And I haven't lost her yet. Now, jump!"

Donna took a deep breath, then screamed and jumped, knocking the Doctor back and making them both land in a heap on the floor. He saw the doors slam, and the TARDIS tilted again, zooming away. He looked back at the console to see Rose grinning at him, her hands on the controls. He laughed as Donna shifted off him, and pulled her to her feet before running to the console to take over for Rose.

oOoOo

Rose and Donna exited the TARDIS when the Doctor landed on a roof and watched as he tried to extinguish the smoke billowing from the interior.

"Thing is," Rose said to Donna, wincing as the Doctor coughed and sputtered. "For a spaceship, she doesn't actually do much…you know…flying. What would you have done if I wasn't there, Doctor?"

"Oh, I'd have…thought of something immensely clever," he called back.

"Bit of string?" she asked.

"Probably, yeah," he confirmed with a grin.

He gave another spurt with the extinguisher before setting it down and walking over to them.

"We'd better give her a couple of hours," he said. "You two all right?"

Rose nodded, but he arched an eyebrow and pulled at her arm, revealing a couple of minor burns from the exploding console.

"I'm fine, Doctor," she said with an eye roll. He clearly didn't agree with this, but let it go and dropped her arm.

"And you, Donna?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter," she said with a shrug.

"Did we miss it?" Rose asked, exchanging a look with the Doctor.

"Yeah," she said flatly.

"Well, you can book another date," the Doctor suggested.

"Course we can," she said, but still sounded dejected.

"Still got the honeymoon," Rose said with a small smile, nudging Donna's shoulder.

"It's just a holiday now," the would-be bride replied.

"Yeah, guess so," Rose said sadly, staring out at the horizon. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said, looking up. "Neither of you."

"Oh! That's a change," the Doctor said with a smile.

"Wish we had a time machine," Donna said. "Then we could go back and get it right."

The Doctor and Rose avoided each other's gaze as he said, "…Yeah, yeah. But…even if I did, I couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline. Apparently."

Donna shot him a suspicious look, then moved to the edge of the roof and sat down. The Doctor touched the small of Rose's back, and they both followed, the Doctor taking off his jacket to put around Donna's shoulders before he sat down next to her, Rose on his other side.

"God, you're skinny," Donna said. "This wouldn't fit a rat."

"Haven't had any complaints," he said easily, and Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh, and you'd better put this on," he added, pulling a ring out of his pocket.

"Doctor!" Rose cried, staring at what looked like a wedding ring.

"What?"

"Oh, do you have to rub it in?" Donna asked. He stared between the two women, then down at the ring as realization dawned. His face softened when he turned back to Donna.

"Those creatures can trace you," he explained, taking her hand. "This is a bio-damper. Should keep you hidden. With this ring, I thee bio-damp," he added as he slipped it on her.

"For better or for worse," Donna said, and the Doctor grinned. He turned forward again and slid a hand up Rose's back to rest it at the base of her neck, stroking her skin lightly.

"So, come on then. Robot Santas—what are they for?" Donna asked.

"Ah, your basic robo-scavenger," the Doctor said. "The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise. They're trying to blend in. We met them last Christmas."

"Why, what happened then?" Donna asked.

"That spaceship over London," Rose said. "We were right on top of it."

"You didn't notice?" the Doctor asked incredulously at Donna's shrug.

"I had a bit of a hangover," she said dismissively.

The Doctor stared at her, then turned to Rose with a look of stunned disbelief. Rose shook her head and shrugged.

"We spent Christmas Day just over there," the Doctor said, apparently letting the subject drop as he pointed across the skyline. "The Powell Estate, with Rose's family."

"You wore a paper crown," Rose said with a giggle.

"Oi! So did you!" he said indignantly. "I happen to think I looked rather dashing in my paper crown," he added, drawing himself up proudly.

"Course you did," Rose said soothingly, patting his thigh. She giggled again when he gave her a suspicious look before gazing back out at the city and sobering. "Still...gone now," she said softly. The Doctor slid his hand over to wrap his arm around her, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head when she rested it on his shoulder.

Donna watched the pair curiously. Lance never gave her the random tender gestures that this Doctor bloke seemed to shower on the young blonde woman. Maybe she hadn't been kidnapped after all.

"What happened to them?" Donna asked softly. "Your family?"

The Doctor glanced at her, then back down at Rose as they both straightened and shifted uncomfortably. It was still too fresh of a wound to go into with a stranger.

"Question is," he said, rather than responding to her directly, "what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you? And how did you get inside the TARDIS? I don't know—" He reached over and pulled the sonic out of her suit jacket. "What's your job?"

"I'm a secretary," she said, eyeing him as he scanned her up and down with the sonic.

"It's weird," he said. "I mean you're not special, you're not powerful—"

"Doctor," Rose said softly.

"—you're not connected, you're not clever—"

"Doctor," Rose said, a little louder.

"—you're not important—"

"Tell me, Rose," Donna said, her face pinched in annoyance. "Do you ever just punch him in the face?"

"No, but maybe I should," she said in an exasperated voice.

"What?" he asked, confused, as he stopped his scan.

"Doctor, everything's important," she said softly. "_Especially_ the people."

"Well, obviously…I mean…that's not…" he said, then eyed Donna again for a moment. "Sorry."

Rose shook her head. So brilliant..._so_ thick.

"What kind of secretary?" he asked after another moment.

"I'm at HC Clements," Donna said. "It's where I met Lance. I was temping. I mean, it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well, I thought - I'm never gonna fit in here. And then he made me a coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the secretaries a coffee. And Lance—he's the head of HR! He don't need to bother with me! But he was nice, he was funny. And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started, me and him—one cup of coffee. That was it."

"When was this?" the Doctor asked.

"Six months ago," she said, her voice still dreamy.

"Bit quick to get married, isn't it?" Rose asked.

"Well…he insisted," Donna said. "And he nagged…and he nagged me…And he just wore me down and then finally, I just gave in."

Rose snorted lightly, and the Doctor glanced at her, though Donna didn't seem to notice. He arched an eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes and shook her head, making him grin and cough to hide a laugh. Donna looked at them sharply.

"What…what does HC Clements do?" the Doctor asked, forcing a straight face.

"Oh, security systems," Donna replied. "You know…entry codes, ID cards—that sort of thing. If you ask me, it's a posh name for 'locksmiths'."

"Keys…" the Doctor said thoughtfully.

"You're not talking about conventional keys anymore, are you?" Rose asked, recognizing the look.

"Possibly not," he said, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes a little. "Different sort of key for a very different sort of lock."

He glanced over at Donna, who was staring at them in confusion again. She shook her head and took a deep breath.

"Anyway, enough of my CV," she said. "Come on, it's time to face the consequences. Oh, this is gonna be so shaming. You can do the explaining, Martian-boy."

"Yeah. I'm not from Mars," he said firmly before standing up. He held a hand out to each woman, helping them both up before taking his jacket back from Donna.

"Oh, I had this great big reception all planned," Donna said as she walked to the TARDIS. "Everyone's gonna be heartbroken."

"You alright?" the Doctor asked, trailing behind with Rose and watching the bride.

"Yeah," Rose said.

"Sure?" he asked, glancing down at her.

"Yeah…I just…I dunno," she said, shaking her head as tears filled her eyes. "Christmas, you know? Last year…god, we were so happy. You, me, mum, Mickey…" she trailed off, and he nodded. "And there's so much I'm going to miss. I'll never see Tony's first Christmas."

"But you did," he reminded her softly as he put his arm around her. "Who can say they got to experience their baby brother's first Christmas years before his mum and dad even got together?"

"Didn't think of it like that," she said. "But it won't be…that wasn't…what I remember, that's not going to happen. Because I won't be there."

The Doctor studied her for a moment. She had lost so much, and fought so hard for both of them…it really was time for her to start getting something back.

"Tell you what," he said quietly. "After this is over, we'll do Christmas in the TARDIS."

She gave him a sideways glance. "You said holidays aren't allowed in the TARDIS."

"Did I?" he asked, bemused. Must have been when he was in leather. Sounded like something he'd say. "Well…first time for everything, right? Speaking of which…you don't know what's going on either, do you?"

"No," she said with a frown. "Why would I?"

He grinned and let out a goofy giggle as he took her hand and towed her to the TARDIS. "Would you look at that. Big Bad Wolf, just as confused as the rest of us mere mortals…"

"Shut up."


	3. The Runaway Bride Part 2

_**I've decided that I have the best followers ever. So glad to see so many of you guys kept following from the first story. Thank you so much for the many follows and favorites and reviews...you guys rock!**_

**oOoOo**

When they got to the reception hall, they found that an absent bride was apparently not a good enough reason to call off the reception. The Doctor and Rose walked in a little behind Donna, and found the party in full swing. The music was blaring, while all around them, people were dancing, eating, drinking and generally having a grand old time of it. Donna folded her arms and stared hard at the guests. A woman in a dreadful hat was the first to notice the trio, and froze. Silence rippled out from there until all eyes were on Donna.

"You had the reception without me?" she asked, thunderstruck. The Doctor scrubbed a hand over his jaw as he exchanged a look with Rose.

"Donna…what happened to you?" a man asked.

"You had the reception without me?" she asked again, her voice going up a notch.

There was an awkward pause, and Rose nudged the Doctor in the ribs, nodding to the room at large.

"Hello!" he said cheerfully. "I'm the Doctor, this is Rose—"

"They had the reception without me," Donna interrupted, turning to him.

"Yes, I gathered," he said, his grin now frozen.

"Well, it was all paid for—why not?" asked a woman in a blue dress. Rose didn't miss the way she eyed the Doctor appreciatively, and stepped a bit closer to him.

"Thank you, Nerys," Donna said acidly.

"Well, what were we supposed to do?" the woman with the dreadful hat demanded, striding over to them. "I got your silly little message in the end—'I'm on Earth'? Very funny. What the hell happened? How did you do it? I mean, what's the trick because I'd love to know—"

Her voice was drowned out as others approached, all talking over one another. The Doctor moved to interrupt, but Rose took his arm, shaking her head and nodding at Donna. The redhead was whipping her head around, trying to take in everything at once, then suddenly burst into very loud and dramatic tears. The group stop talking, making sympathetic noises instead, and the man who had spoken stepped forward to take Donna in his arms, eliciting a cheer from everyone. She sobbed into his shoulder for a moment before cutting a look at Rose and the Doctor and winking. They both smirked.

"How'd you know she'd do that?" he asked softly.

"Don't need Bad Wolf," she said. "I'm a woman. You don't even wanna know how many ways I've used that trick."

"No…no I really don't," he agreed, rocking back on his heels.

After Donna's dramatics defused everyone's anger, the party began again in earnest. The Doctor pulled Rose's phone from his pocket, intending to find out more about this HC Clements, but Rose wasn't having it.

"One dance, Doctor," she insisted, tugging at his arm. "Please?"

"Rose, we still don't know why those things were after Donna," he said, trying to be firm.

"But she's wearing a biodamper," Rose reminded him. "And all that information you could find will still be there in a few minutes. The world doesn't end because the Doctor dances."

He looked hesitantly at the dance floor, his leg jiggling as he considered his options. But it was only one dance, and denying Rose anything was almost physically painful.

"Right you are, Rose Tyler," he finally said softly, stuffing the phone back in his pocket. He took her hand and spun her around, making her squeal with delight before leading her to the dance floor.

They danced often now. This body was practically made to swing her around in his arms, and this moment was no different. He spun them and dipped her in time with the fast-paced song, both of them grinning madly.

_So reel me in my precious girl  
Come on, take me home  
Cause my body's tired of traveling  
And my heart don't wish to roam_

He finally danced toward the edge of the dance floor, dipping her over his arm as he kissed her. He pulled out the phone as they straightened and sauntered away to the bar, ignoring the petulant look she gave his back. She followed after a moment, blocking him from view as he used his sonic screwdriver to scroll quickly through useless information about the company, until he came to the screen that made them both narrow their eyes.

_Sole Prop.  
TORCHWOOD_

"Yeah, it would be," the Doctor said in a low, angry voice. He glanced over at Rose. Neither of them needed another reminder of that place, though he knew her anger was probably even worse than his, given what she'd lost, not to mention having to deal with them twice. He couldn't help but wonder how much angrier he'd be if...best not think on that, he decided. He glanced around the room as he handed her back her phone, then caught her eye and nodded to the camera man, touching her back to lead her over.

"Were you at the ceremony as well?" the Doctor asked as they approached the man.

"Yeah, I taped the whole thing," he replied, immediately cueing up the film for them. "They've all had a look. They said 'sell it to _You've Been Framed_'. I said 'more like the News'. Here we are..."

They watched as the tape played. It zoomed in on Donna's face as she screamed and glowed with a golden light before seeming to disintegrate.

"Can't be!" the Doctor said, brow furrowed. "Play it again?"

"Clever, mind!" the camera man said, rewinding the tape. "Good trick, I'll give her that. I was clapping."

"Hold on, Doctor," Rose said, watching it again. "That looks almost like—" She glanced up at the cameraman, then looked at the Doctor. "I've seen that before, that light. Couple of times." The Doctor glanced at her and nodded almost imperceptibly, frowning at the video.

"What's that?" the cameraman asked, confused.

"That's impossible," he said. "That's…ancient! Huon energy doesn't exist anymore, apart from you and the TARDIS. Hasn't for billions of years! So old that…" he trailed off and looked over at Donna, his face suddenly taking on a horrified expression. "…it can't be hidden by a biodamper!"

He took off across the room, out into the corridor, and Rose ran to Donna.

"Donna, we've got a problem," Rose said urgently, tugging at her. "The biodamper doesn't work, not for this. We've got to get everyone out," she added as the Doctor sprinted back to them.

"Donna! Donna, they've found you," the Doctor said. "They're here, we need to not be."

"But...this is my family!" she cried.

"Out the back door!" he said, grabbing Rose's hand. They ran for it, only to be confronted by two of the Santas. "Maybe not," the Doctor said, slamming the door again.

They ran for the windows and looked outside at more Santas advancing towards the building.

"We're trapped," Donna said.

One of the Santas raised a remote control, and Rose looked around at the Christmas trees around the room before tugging on the Doctor's arm and nodding at them.

"Christmas trees," he said quietly, taking them in.

"What about them?" Donna asked.

"They kill," Rose said as the Doctor ran into the crowd. The three of them tried to herd people away from the Christmas trees, but without much success.

"Oh, for God's sakes, the man's an idiot!" shouted Donna's mother. "Why? What's a Christmas tree gonna…oh!"

She trailed off when the bauble decorations began floating away from the tree in a sort of weird dance. The Doctor and Rose watched suspiciously from either side of the dance floor as the baubles floated and spun and hovered about the heads of the crowd. Everyone cooed and chattered excitedly...until they started dive-bombing the guests, causing small explosions around the room.

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted, pushing through people to meet up with her in the middle of the floor and pulling her over to the DJ booth to hide behind. "Cover your ears," he said, close to her ear to make sure she heard. He watched to make sure she did as she was told before standing.

"Oi! Santa!" he called. "Word of advice: if you're attacking a man with a sonic screwdriver—" He picked up the microphone, spinning it in his hand before saying into it, "—don't let him near the sound system."

He pressed the sonic screwdriver into an amp port, eliciting a high pitched screech from all the speakers. The Santas began to vibrate and shake, falling to pieces on the dance floor. He removed the sonic and crouched down by Rose again.

"You okay?" he asked, searching her face as she pulled her hands from her ears.

"What the _hell_ was that?" she asked.

"Improvisation," he said with a grin, grabbing her hands and pulling her to her feet as he jumped up. He ran over to the Santas just as everyone else was getting back to their feet. Rose knelt next to him as he examined the various parts.

"Look at that," he said softly, holding the remote and the head of one of the robots. "Remote control for the decorations...but there's a second remote control for the robots. They're not scavengers anymore. I think someone's taken possession."

"But…who?" Rose asked, peering at the blinking lights in the head. "And what do they want with Donna?"

"Never mind all that," Donna said, approaching them. "You're a doctor—people have been hurt."

"Nah, they wanted you alive. Look," he said, tossing a bauble at her. "They're not active now."

"All I'm saying," she said, "you could help."

"Gotta think of the bigger picture," the Doctor said, holding the head to his ear. "There's still a signal! You with me, Shiver?" he asked, jumping to his feet and holding out his hand with a grin.

"Every time, Shake," Rose replied with a grin, taking his hand before he dashed off outside.

The Doctor stopped once they got outside, scanning the robot head. "There's someone behind this, directing the robo-force."

"But why is it me?" Donna asked, catching up. "What have I done?"

"Someone needs a key," Rose said, exchanging a look with the Doctor. "But…what for? And why her?"

"If we find the controller, we'll find that out. Oh!" He raised the bleeping sonic up into the air. "It's up there. Something in the sky."

"Spaceship?" Rose asked as Lance also joined them.

"Someone's hiding," he said, checking the sonic again. "I've lost the signal—Donna, we've got to get to your office, H C Clements. I think that's where it all started. Lance—is it Lance? Can you give us a lift?"

They piled into Lance's car and drove off to H C Clements. Rose watched Lance uneasily. He was asking questions about everything, but something was...off. Years of working with the Doctor and Torchwood had made her question everything, and Lance's presence in Donna's life at the same time it went haywire was just a bit too coincidental. The Doctor shot her a questioning look, but she shook her head, still not sure. But she was going to keep an eye on him while they sorted out what was going on.

They made their way into the building and up to the offices, and the Doctor explained about Torchwood buying up the place years ago. Both Rose and the Doctor were once again stunned to find out that Donna had no idea about the Battle at Canary Wharf or the duel invasion. She really wasn't getting the big picture. The Doctor kept searching the mainframe, however, sure that someone else had taken over since Torchwood had been disbanded.

"But what do they want with me?" Donna asked.

"Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy," the Doctor explained, turning his full attention to her while Rose turned to another computer. "And that's a problem because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark times. The only place you'd find a Huon particle now is a remnant in the heart of the TARDIS. See? That's what happened. Say…that's the TARDIS…and that's you," he said, holding up a mug and a pencil. "The particles inside you activated. The two sets of particles magnetized and WHAP! You were pulled inside the TARDIS," he finished, throwing the pencil into the mug.

"I'm a pencil inside a mug?" Donna asked weakly.

"Yes, you are. 4H. Sums you up," he said, spinning the pencil around in the mug before setting it down again. "Lance? What was H C Clements working on? Anything top secret? Special operations? Do not enter?"

"I don't know, I'm in charge of personnel. I wasn't project manager," Lance said, a shade defensively. "Why am I even explaining myself? What the hell are we talking about?"

"They make keys, that's the point," the Doctor said.

"You keep saying that," Donna said. "Both of you. What does that mean? What do keys have to do with anything?"

"Keys can be and do all sorts of things," Rose said slowly, studying the 3D schematic she'd pulled up. "Doctor, you want to see this." She pointed to the schematic. "Something's missing."

"Oh...now that _is_ interesting," he said slowly before darting off to the lift, calling it up.

"What's that?" Donna asked as they trailed after him.

"We're on the third floor. Underneath reception, there's a basement, yes?" He stepped into the lift as it arrived. "Then how come when you look on the lift, there's a button marked 'lower basement'? There's a whole floor which doesn't exist on the official plans. So what's down there, then?"

"Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?" Lance said incredulously.

"No, he's showing you this building's got a secret floor," Rose said slowly. He sounded surprised, but he still made her feel twitchy.

"It needs a key," Donna said.

"I don't," he said, sonicing the lock. "C'mon, Rose. Right then, thanks you two, we can handle this—see you later."

"No chance, Martian," Donna said, following Rose into the lift. "You're the man who keeps saving my life, I ain't letting you out of my sight."

"Going down," he said, grabbing a hold of Rose's hand.

"Lance?" Donna said pointedly.

"Maybe I should go to the police," Lance said hesitantly.

"Inside," Donna ordered.

"To honor and obey?" the Doctor asked as Lance followed the meekly into the lift.

"Tell me about it, mate," Lance said.

"OI."

"Have I told you lately how much I adore you?" the Doctor whispered to Rose, eyeing Donna a little fearfully. Rose snickered and shook her head.

The lift pinged when they reached the lower basement, and Lance and Donna stepped out. Rose pulled the Doctor back, though.

"Watch him," she said quietly so the other two wouldn't hear. "I don't trust him."

"No, nor do I," he said, glancing out of the doors. "It's all a bit to convenient, isn't it? Lance is hiding something. Let's find out what it is, shall we?"

He held out his arm to her and grinned brightly. She shook her head and smiled as she took it.

"Where are we?" Donna asked as they stepped out. "Well, what goes on down here?"

"Let's find out," the Doctor said as he looked up and down the corridor.

"Do you think Mr Clements knows about this place?" Donna asked.

"The mysterious H C Clements? I think he's part of it," the Doctor said distractedly, then grinned. "Oh, look—transport."

He pulled Rose over to wear several electronic scooters were parked. They each took one and trundled off down the corridor. It wasn't long before Donna started laughing, which made Rose laugh, which made the Doctor laugh. They laughed even harder when Lance just looked back as if the three of them had gone mad.

He jumped off the scooter when they came to a door marked "Authorized Personnel Only" with a Torchwood symbol, and the others quickly followed suit. He spun the wheel to open the door an alcove containing a ladder. He stepped in and glanced up it.

"Wait here," he said. "Just need to get my bearings. Rose, don't let them...do anything," he added, pointing at the couple sternly.

"You'd better come back," Donna said as he started up the ladder.

"There's your insurance," he said, with a nod at Rose. "As long as she's with you, I'm always coming back. Besides…I couldn't get rid of you if I tried," he added with a grin before heading up the ladder.

"Donna…have you thought about this?" Lance asked as the girls watched the Doctor climb. "Properly? I mean, this is serious! What the hell are we gonna do?"

"Oh, I thought July," Donna said, smiling brightly at him before turning her attention back to the Doctor. Lance gaped at her.

"What about you, Lance?" Rose asked, leaning casually against the door frame, chewing on a nail as she watched him. "What do you make of all this?"

"Well, I don't know!" he said, defensively. "How should I know? Never been down here before. Never even knew it was here."

"You sure?" she asked.

"What are you accusing me of?" he asked, his voice rising an octave.

"I'm not accusing you of anything," she said calmly. "Should I be?"

He gaped at her for a moment, then closed his mouth, turning his attention resolutely to the ladder. She studied him for another minute, picking at a nail, then turned her head to the ladder as the Doctor hopped down.

"Thames flood barrier!" he said. "Right on top of us. Torchwood snuck in and built this place underneath."

"What, there's like a secret base hidden underneath a major London landmark?" Donna asked, shocked.

"I know!" he said, feigning his own surprise with a look at Rose. "Unheard of."

She snorted as he took her hand and led them through the twisty corridors.

They enter some kind of laboratory, full of massive test tubes bubbling away and chemistry equipment.

"Oh, look at this!" the Doctor said, pulling at Rose. "Stunning!"

"What does it do?" Donna asked.

"Particle extrusion. Hold on..." He let go of Rose's hand to dart over to one of the bubbling tubes and tapped it. "Brilliant," he breathed. "They've been manufacturing Huon particles. In case my people got rid of Huons, they unravelled the atomic structure."

"Your people?" Lance asked. "Who are they? What company do you represent?"

"We're sort of...freelancers," Rose said. "Hold on though, if..._your people_ got rid of Huon particles, how are they manufacturing them?"

"They've been using the river," the Doctor said, still examining the equipment. "Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base so they've got the end result—Huon particles in liquid form," he finished holding up a test tube full of liquid for Rose.

"And that's what's inside me?" Donna asked, coming closer to look. The Doctor gently turned a knob on the top of the test tube, making the contents glow gold. After a moment, Donna also began to glow. "Oh, my God!"

The Doctor eyed her and glanced at Rose—and was mildly disturbed to find her eyes glowing slightly as well. He turned the knob again and took hold of her jaw with one hand, staring into her eyes as the glow receded.

"Doctor?" Rose asked softly.

"Probably just latent energy," he mused. "The particles in you are stable, for the most part—bonded to your strange DNA. Still...noted," he said before turning back to Donna. "But this…this is genius. Because the particles are inert—they need something living to catalyze inside and that's you. Saturate the body and then…HA! The wedding!" he yelled, once again bouncing around with manic enthusiasm. "Yes, you're getting married, that's it! Best day of your life, walking down the aisle—oh, your body's a battleground! There's a chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine, WHAM go the endorphins, oh you're cooking! Yeah, you're like a walking oven! A pressure cooker, a microwave, all churning away, the particles reach boiling point, SHAZAM!"

Rose saw Donna's hand come up, but didn't move quickly enough to stop her. Once again, Rose winced at the sound of the crack across the Doctor's face.

"What did I do this time?" he asked indignantly.

"Are you enjoying this?" Donna asked.

"It's not…that," Rose said as the Doctor relaxed, looking slightly ashamed. "He just...gets really excited when he's being clever and working things out, especially when it's something that only a genius can, and sort of…forgets everything else. It's not because he doesn't care what's happening to you, I promise."

"You know, she's a lot nicer than you," Donna said, slightly mollified.

The Doctor smiled weakly. "Always has been. The good cop."

"Right, just tell me," Donna said. "These particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?"

"Yes!" the Doctor said quickly.

"Doctor," Donna said, not buying it. "If your lot got rid of Huon particles... why did they do that?"

"Because they were deadly," he said reluctantly.

"Oh, my God…"

"Donna, don't worry," Rose said, her arm going around her shoulder. "We'll sort it out. The Doctor's very good at that."

"What about you?" Donna asked. "You have the...stuff too. He hasn't fixed you."

"Rose is an entirely different situation," the Doctor put in. "Completely unique. But I promise, whatever's been done to you, I'll reverse it. We've lost enough people lately. I'm not about to lose someone else."

"Oh, she is long since lost," came a booming, raspy voice, and they all spun around as a wall slid up to reveal a huge chamber with an enormous hole in the floor. Rose saw Lance retreat through the door, eyes wide in horror. "I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe, until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!"

"Someone's been digging... oh, very Torchwood," he said with disdain, examining the hole. "Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?"

"Down and down, all the way to the center of the Earth!"

"Really?" Rose asked, peering down it. "Seriously? What for?"

"Dinosaurs," Donna said as she shuffled forward.

The Doctor and Rose both turned to stare at her, nonplussed.

"What?" the Doctor asked.

"Dinosaurs?" she repeated, a little uncertainly.

"What are you on about, dinosaurs?" he asked, thoroughly confused.

"That film, Under the Earth, with dinosaurs," Donna said. "Trying to help!"

"That's not helping," the Doctor said.

"Such an interesting trio," the voice rasped.

"Only a madman talks to thin air," the Doctor said, looking around the cavernous room. "And trust me, you don't want to make me mad. Where are you?"

"High in the sky," the voice said. "Floating so high on Christmas Night."

"I didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom!" the Doctor shouted. "Come on, let's have a look at you!"

"Who are you with such command?" the voice asked.

"I'm the Doctor," he said, arching an eyebrow.

"Prepare your best medicines, doctor-man," the voice advised. "For you will be sick at heart."

Rose and Donna jumped back as a giant spidery thing teleported into the chamber, and Rose felt the Doctor's hand firmly on her elbow.

"The Racnoss," he said slowly. "But that's impossible, you're one of the Racnoss!"

"Empress of the Racnoss," the spider-woman-thing replied, and the Doctor pulled Rose a little more firmly to his side.

"If you're the Empress, where's the rest of the Racnoss?" he asked, taking a step forward. "Or…are you the only one?"

"Such a sharp mind," the Empress said.

"That's it, the last of your kind," he said. "The Racnoss come from the Dark Times," he said in a low voice to Rose and Donna. "Billions of years ago, billions. They were carnivores, omnivores, they devoured whole planets."

"Racnoss are born starving," the Empress said. "Is that our fault?"

"They eat people?" Donna asked, appalled.

Rose looked up at the web thing in the ceiling. "Donna...your boss, H C Clements, did he wear those...you know, those black and white shoes?"

"He did!" she said as the Doctor followed Rose's gaze and frowned. "We used to laugh, we used to call him the fat cat in spats."

The Doctor nodded and pointed up to the web.

"Oh, my God!" she said, her hands flying to her mouth.

"Mm, my Christmas dinner," the Empress said with a cackle that sent shivers down Rose's spine.

"You shouldn't even exist!" the Doctor shouted. "Way back in history, the Fledgling Empires went to war against the Racnoss—they were wiped out."

"Except for me," the Racnoss said.

"But that's what I've got inside me," Donna piped up suddenly. Rose looked up to see Lance moving stealthily towards the Empress with an axe. "That Huon energy thing. Oi! Look at me, lady, I'm talking. Where do I fit in? How comes I get all stacked up with these Huon particles? Look at me, you! Look me in the eye and tell me."

"The bride is so feisty!" the Empress said.

Rose thought quickly, and suddenly realized where the liquid particles came from…and why Lance made her feel so twitchy. She looked at Donna sadly.

"Yes, I am! And I don't know what you are, you big…thing. But a spider's just a spider and an axe is an axe! Now, do it!"

Lance brought the axe back to swing as the Empress turned and hissed at him—then stopped. He turned and looked at Donna and started laughing, joined after a moment by the Empress.

"That was a good one," he said to the Empress. "Your face!"

"Lance is funny," the Empress said, still cackling.

"What?" Donna asked, stunned.

"I'm so sorry," Rose said quietly.

"Sorry for what?" she asked. "Lance, don't be so stupid! Get her!"

"God, she's thick," Lance said disdainfully. "Months I had to put up with her. Months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map."

"I don't understand," she said softly.

"How did you meet him?" Rose asked.

"In the office," Donna said, turning to her.

Rose nodded. "He made you coffee."

"What?"

"Every day, I made you coffee," Lance said as if he was talking to an idiot.

"You had to be dosed with liquid particles over six months," the Doctor explained quietly.

"He was poisoning me?" Donna asked, stunned.

"It was all there in the job title," the Doctor said with a sneer. "The Head of Human Resources."

"This time, it's personnel," Lance said, and he and the Empress shared another laugh.

"But…we were getting married," Donna said, still in shock, and Rose moved to put an arm around her shoulder.

"Well, I couldn't risk you running off," Lance said. "I had to say yes. And then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavor Pringle. Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap yap yap—'oh, Brad and Angelina! Is Posh pregnant?' X Factor, Atkins Diet, Feng Shui, split ends, text me, text me, text me. Dear God, the never ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia."

"OI!" Rose yelled, stepping forward angrily. "Listen, you stupid son of a—"

"Rose!" the Doctor cut in, pulling her back from the edge of the hole hurriedly.

"I deserve a medal," Lance said.

"Oh, is that what she's offered you?" the Doctor asked in disgust. "The Empress of the Racnoss? What are you? Her consort?"

"It's better than a night with her," Lance said nastily, making Rose squirm again angrily, her hands balled into fists at her side.

"But I love you," Donna said, her voice breaking.

"That's what made it easy," he replied pityingly. "It's like you said, Doctor—the big picture—what's the point of it all if the Human Race is nothing? That's what the Empress can give me. The chance to…go out there. To see it. The size of it all. I think you understand that, don't you, Doctor?"

"Who are these people?" the Empress asked. "The little physician and his tiny assistant?"

"What she said," Lance told her. "Martians."

"Oh, we're sort of…homeless," he said, releasing Rose finally and stepping around her toward the hole. "But the point is, what's down here? The Racnoss are extinct. What's gonna help you four thousand miles down? That's just the molten core of the Earth, isn't it?"

"I think he wants us to talk," Lance said in a patronizing tone.

"I think so too," the Empress agreed.

"Well, tough!" Lance spat. "All we need is Donna!"

"Kill this chattering little doctor-man!" the Empress ordered. "And his precious little sidekick."

"Don't you hurt them!" Donna said, moving to stand in front of the Doctor even as he pulled Rose to his side.

"No, no," he said, pushing her gently aside. "It's all right."

"No, I won't let them!" she cried.

"At arms!" the Empress cried, and the many robots raised their guns.

"Ah, now. Except—" the Doctor said, raising his hands in supplication.

"Take aim!" the Empress ordered, ignoring him.

"Well, I just want to point out the obvious—" he tried again.

"They won't hit the bride," the Empress scoffed. "They're such very good shots."

"Just—just—just—hold on," the Doctor said, reaching into his jacket pocket. "Just a tick, just a tiny—just a little—tick. If you think about it, the particles activated in Donna and drew her inside my spaceship. So, reverse it…the spaceship comes to her."

Rose turned her face as the Doctor took a casual step to the side, shielding her from view as he turned the knob on the bottle again, making the particles inside, as well as Donna and the hidden Rose, glow gold.

"Fire!" they heard her scream, but the TARDIS was already materializing around them.


	4. The Runaway Bride Part 3

"Off we go!" the Doctor said, darting for the console. "Oh, you know what I said before about time machines? Well, I lied. And now we're gonna use it. We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto bene! I've always wanted to see this. Donna, Rose—we're going back further than I've ever gone before."

"Doctor," said Rose in a soft voice.

He looked up to see Rose standing next to where the bride was sitting on the captain's seat, her arms around the redhead as her shoulders shook with silent tears. That's part of the reason he needed Rose, he realized. He got so caught up in the…the brilliance of it all, even the harmful things, that he forgot about…well, the people involved. Rose never forgot about anyone.

He might be a genius, but his little pink and yellow…mostly human…had the biggest heart in the universe. He was silent as she spoke softly and soothingly to the heartbroken woman.

"We've arrived," he said quietly after another moment when Donna seemed to have calmed a bit. "Want to see?"

"I s'pose," Donna said, unenthusiastically.

"Oh, that scanner's a bit small," the Doctor said, spinning it around and peering at it. "Maybe your way's best."

"Come on," Rose said quietly, pulling the bride to her feet and leading her to the doors.

"No human's ever seen this," the Doctor said. "You'll be the first."

"All I want to see is my bed," Donna said grumpily as they came to the door.

"Donna Noble, Rose Tyler—welcome to the creation of the Earth," the Doctor said, throwing open the doors in front of them. He wrapped an arm around Rose's waist, pulling her into his side as the three of them took in the wonder before them. "We've gone back 4.6 billion years," he continued softly, his thumb stroking gently at Rose's ribs. "There's no solar system, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas. That's the Sun over there," he added, pointing to a light amidst the dust and gas clouds. "Brand new. Just beginning to burn."

"Where's the Earth?" Donna asked, sounding a little breathless.

"All around us," the Doctor said. "In the dust."

"Puts the wedding in perspective," Donna said sadly. She had never before felt so insignificant. Everything about her was small. "Lance was right. We're just…tiny."

"No, but that's what you do," the Doctor said encouragingly. "The human race. Making sense out of chaos. Marking it out with weddings and Christmas and calendars. This whole process is beautiful, but only if it's being observed."

"So, I came out of all this?" she asked.

"Isn't that brilliant?" Donna heard him murmur something else to Rose before falling silent. Donna glanced over at them to see the Doctor holding the girl's jaw in his hand, his thumb stroking her skin tenderly. He gazed into her eyes wearing the same look of wonder Donna felt as she looked out at the beginnings of the solar system before leaning down to kiss her softly. Watching this made her feel like she was an intruder, and just drove home the fact that Lance had never loved her. Here was a man who apparently had the whole universe at his fingertips, but still looked at Rose as if she was at the center of it all.

"I think that's the Isle of Wight," Donna said after a moment, looking outside again. She heard a husky chuckle, and looked over to see Rose grinning at her, a little embarrassed.

"Eventually, gravity takes hold," the Doctor said, turning his gaze to the door and gesturing with the hand not on Rose's waist. "Say, one big rock, heavier than the others, starts to pull other rocks towards it. All the dust and gas and elements get pulled in, everything, piling in until you get…"

"The Earth," Donna finished, and the Doctor nodded with a smile.

"But the question is…what was that first rock?" he asked, his eyes scanning the floating masses.

"Look," Donna said, nodding to a star-shaped ship emerging from the gas clouds.

"The Racnoss," he whispered before rushing back to the console. "Hold on—the Racnoss are hiding from the war! What's it doing?"

"Exactly what you said," Donna said, as the star began to pull the gas and rocks toward it with speed.

"They didn't just bury something at the center of the Earth," Rose said softly as the Doctor bounded up behind her.

"They _became_ the center of the Earth," the Doctor said. "The first rock."

The TARDIS suddenly shuddered violently and tipped, nearly knocking the three of them off their feet.

"What was that?" Donna asked.

"Trouble," the Doctor said as he reached around them to slam the doors shut before running back to the console.

"What the hell's it doing?" Donna shouted as they struggled to keep their balance.

"Remember that little trick I pulled—particles pulling particles?" the Doctor asked, furiously working the controls. "It works in reverse—they're pulling us back!"

"Well, can't you stop it?" Donna yelled. "Hasn't it got a handbrake? Can't you reverse or warp or beam or something?"

"Backseat driver," the Doctor muttered.

"Oh, hold on!" Rose said suddenly, ducking beneath the console. "This might help," she said, pulling the extrapolator out.

"The extrapolator!" the Doctor cried, beaming at her. "Can't stop us, but it should give us a good bump!"

He waited until the TARDIS fully materialized before whacking the extrapolator with a mallet, making the TARDIS give an almighty jolt before he ran for the doors again.

"We're about 200 yards to the right," he told them as they emerged. "Come on!"

They ran down the corridor until they reached the door to the Thames flood barrier.

"But what do we do?" Donna asked breathlessly.

"I don't know," the Doctor said, pulling out a stethoscope and listening to the door. "I make it up as I go along."

"Don't worry," Rose said. "He's brilliant at it."

The Doctor shot a wink and a grin over his shoulder at her, clicking his tongue.

"But I still don't understand," Donna said. "I'm full of particles—but what for?"

"There's a Racnoss web at the center of the Earth," he replied. "But my people unraveled their power source. The Huon particles ceased to exist but the Racnoss are stuck. They've just been in hibernation for billions of years. Frozen. Dead. Kaput! So you're the new key. Brand new particles, living particles! They need you to open it and you two have never been so quiet," he added suddenly.

He straightened and whirled around, looking up and down the corridor. Both women had vanished. The Doctor tensed and drew himself up to his full, fairly impressive height.

"Big mistake," he said darkly, turning back to the door. "Huge."

oOoOo

"I hate you," Donna hissed at Lance from her place next to him in the web.

"Yeah, I think we've gone a bit beyond that now, sweetheart," he replied.

They'd both been taken, her and Rose, but while Donna had been strung up in the web, Rose had been knocked out and dumped unceremoniously on the ground near the hole. Something about her being the first meal. All because she looked up at the wrong time.

"My golden couple," the Empress rasped. "Together at last - your awful wedded life. Tell me; do you want to be released?"

"Yes!" they shouted together.

"You're supposed to say 'I do'," the Empress said.

"Ha, no chance," Lance said.

"Say it!" the spider thing ordered.

"I do," he choked out, looking at Donna.

"I do," Donna said, as distainfully as she could manage.

"I don't," the Empress said, cackling. "Activate the particles. Purge every last one!"

Then the screaming started. Donna looked down to see Rose glowing and writhing in agony.

"The Martian girl is not all she appears," the Empress said, watching the girl coldly. "No matter. Release the particles!"

The screaming reached a crescendo, echoing with weird reverberations as the particles dove into the hole. The Doctor had said they were different situations. Clearly in Rose's case, it was far more painful.

"The secret heart unlocks," the Empress shouted triumphantly. "And they will waken from their sleep of Ages."

oOoOo

The Doctor had made it back into the chamber just as Rose started screaming. His patience for the Racnoss, already paper thin, completely ran out. He hesitated, debating the specifics of his plan. What he _needed _to do was get into a better position to negotiate with the Empress. What he _wanted_ to do was run to Rose, to pull her away, to try to take away the pain. The particles left in her were trying to leave her body, but they were too integral a part of her, embedded in her very DNA. When the particles were released, Rose gave one more almighty scream, her body convulsing, then went still.

The giant spider had caused Rose pain—after dumping her body for the children to feed on. The dark part of the Doctor seethed.

She would get one more chance. And she had better take it. Because if she didn't, he was going to tear this place apart.

His eyes snapped up as Donna shouted, and watched as Lance fell into the hole. Now was the time to move.

"Harvest the humans!" the Empress shouted as he moved to the stairs and started up them. "Reduce them to meat. My children are climbing towards me and none shall stop them! So you might as well unmask, my clever little doctor-man," she added with a hiss.

He turned, removing the mask and cloak he wore. "Oh well. Nice try. I've got you, Donna!" he said, holding up the sonic and loosening the web around her.

"I'm gonna fall!" Donna shrieked.

"You're gonna swing!" he called. "I've got ya!" he shouted as she swung over the hole towards him. Unfortunately, she swung just under him, hitting the wall with a dull thud. "…oh. Sorry."

"Thanks for nothing," she said from the floor.

"The doctor-man amuses me," the Empress said with a smirk.

"Go check Rose," he called down to her urgently before turning back to the Empress. "Empress of the Racnoss," he called in a strong voice. "I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet. I can find you a place in the universe to coexist. Take that offer and end this now."

"These men are so funny," the Empress said.

"What's your answer?" he asked coldly.

"Oh—I'm afraid I have to decline," she said with another cackle.

"What happens next is your own doing," he said calmly as the darkness overtook him. She would feel pain for what she'd done and what she'd attempted to do. He would make sure of it.

"I'll show you what happens next," she hissed back at him. "At arms! Take aim! And—"

"Relax," the Doctor said quietly, looking up at the robots as they went limp.

"What did you do?" Donna asked, kneeling beside Rose.

"Guess what I've got, Donna?" he asked, pulling out the remote. "Pockets."

"How did that fit in there?" she asked.

"They're bigger on the inside."

"Robo-forms are not necessary," the Empress said finally. "My children may feast on Martian flesh."

"Oh, but I'm not from Mars," the Doctor told her calmly.

"Then where?" she asked, uncertain.

"My home planet is far away and long-since gone," he said. "But its name lives on. Gallifrey."

"They murdered the Racnoss!" the Empress roared.

"I warned you," he said ominously. "You did this."

oOoOo

Donna watched fearfully as the Doctor threw several handfuls baubles into the air before making them spin around the room and into corridors. She was stunned by the cold, dark look in his eyes. He didn't look more than thirty-five…but in that moment, he looked ancient—some old, immensely powerful god of destruction. A shiver ran down her spine, and she leaned over Rose desperately.

"C'mon, Martian girl," she said, slapping at the blonde girl's cheeks as explosions went off and water began pouring into the chamber, the Empress screaming in the background. "You've got to wake up. I don't know what to do."

Then he was there, pushing her gently aside, his expression less cruel now but still unsettling. He knelt next to Rose and put a hand to her cheek as her eyes fluttered open. He gave her a small smile before pulling her to her feet.

"Come on," he shouted over the fire and the water and the wails of the dying. "Time I got you two out of here!"

He grabbed Rose's hand and tore off up the stairs again, Donna racing after them. He led them through the twisting corridors, back to the ladder that led up to the Thames flood barrier. He pushed Donna up first, then Rose.

"But what about the Empress?" Donna called down to him as they climbed.

"She's used up all her Huon energy," the Doctor called back. "She's defenseless!"

Donna stood at the top, making room. Rose sat, her legs dangling in the hole, while the Doctor stayed on the ladder, his arms wrapped tightly around Rose's waist. They watched as the Racnoss' webstar was destroyed, blown to bits by military cannons. All three of them let out a whoop of triumph.

"Just…there's one problem," Donna said breathlessly after a moment.

"What's that?" the Doctor asked.

"We've drained the Thames," she said, and they collapsed into laughter.

oOoOo

The TARDIS materialized outside of Donna's home in Chiswick. All three of them stepped out, the Doctor still keeping a tight hold on Rose, unable to let her go yet. He'd done a quick sonic scan to make sure she was alright on the way over, but Rose knew that he wouldn't be able to relax completely until they were alone again.

"There we go," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Told you she'd be all right. She can survive anything."

"More than I've done," Donna said unhappily.

"Nope!" the Doctor said. "All the Huon particles have gone. No damage, you're fine."

"And Rose?" she asked, and the Doctor's grip tightened briefly as a dark look came back in his eyes.

"I'm fine," Rose said. "Remember, only mostly human. Made of stronger stuff. I am sorry, though, about your job—he blew up my job when I first met him too," she said with a small smile. "And I'm sorry about Lance, Donna. So sorry."

"He deserved it," Donna said, her voice hard.

"You don't mean that," Rose said softly.

"No…I don't," she said, her face softening as she glanced round at the house. "I'd better get inside. They'll be worried."

"Best Christmas present they could have," the Doctor said as they watched Donna's parents embrace each other through the window. "Oh, no, I forgot—you hate Christmas."

"Yes, I do," Donna said.

"Even if it snows?" he asked, leaning back to hit a switch just inside the door of the TARDIS. A ball of light shot out the top and exploded in the sky, turning into falling snow. Rose and Donna both laughed in delight, and he gave them a smile.

"I can't believe you did that!" Donna cried.

"Oh, basic atmospheric excitation," he said casually, then grinned.

"Merry Christmas," she said, her gaze shifting between them.

"And you," the Doctor said.

"So…what will you do with yourself now?" Rose asked her.

"Not getting married for starters," she said with a sigh. "And I'm not gonna temp anymore. I dunno…travel…see a bit more of planet Earth…walk in the dust. Just…go out there and do something."

"Well, you could always…" Rose started, trailing off when the Doctor's grip on her waist tightened.

"What?"

"Come with us…" she finished.

"No," Donna said with a smile.

"Okay," the Doctor said quickly.

"I can't..."

"No, that's fine," the Doctor insisted.

"No, but really…everything we did today…do you two live your lives like that?"

"Not all the time," Rose said defensively.

"I think you do," Donna replied gently. "And I couldn't."

"But you've seen it out there, Donna," she said. "It's beautiful."

"And it's terrible," Donna said. "That place was flooding and burning and they were dying and you, Doctor…you stood there like…I don't know…a stranger. And then you made it snow—I mean, you scare me to death!"

"Well then," he said softly, arching an eyebrow and stiffening slightly as Rose glanced up at him, wondering exactly what she'd missed while unconscious.

"Tell you what I will do though," she said with a smile. "Christmas dinner. Come on."

"Nah, we've sort of got our own plans," the Doctor said. "We've got…things to sort out."

"Thank you, though," Rose said. "For the invitation…and, well everything." She stepped forward impulsively and hugged the other woman tightly. "You'll be great, one day," she whispered. "Just remember: big picture."

"Am I ever gonna see you again?" Donna asked as Rose stepped back.

"If we're lucky," the Doctor said with a smile.

"Don't let go of that girl, Doctor," she added as they turned toward the TARDIS. "You need her. You need someone who gives you a reason to stop." He looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Better yet," she added, "give her a reason to wear a white dress one of these days."

Rose burst into laughter when the Doctor suddenly looked like a trapped animal.

"Um…right…well," he squeaked. "Thanks then, Donna. Good luck. And just…be magnificent."

"I think I will, yeah," she said with a laugh.

They retreated back into the TARDIS, and the Doctor piloted them into the vortex. He stared down at the controls for a moment, and Rose stepped closer. As soon as she was within arm's reach, the Doctor spun around and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I'm alright, Doctor," she said softly.

"I know," he whispered, not letting go. "But I'm not."

She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly, pressing a kiss to his neck as his head bent over her.

"I lost it, Rose," he said after a moment. "I heard you scream, and I lost whatever control I had. I wanted her to feel pain, for everything she'd done and everything she'd tried to do. I wanted her to burn and watch her children drown. And I'm the one person who could make that happen, so I did." He pulled back, looking and down at her, a challenge in his face. "You spent two years trying to save me. But that darkness, that Hyde side of me, it's still there. Do you really still think it's worth it?"

She looked into his eyes and saw the demons chattering away at him. No matter what happened, how far he came, the darkness would always pull at him. She'd always known it would. The wounds can heal, but the scars remain. He'd never asked to become the person he had, the one with such talent for destruction, who could survive countless battles, stare down the most formidable foes, and call down fire on his own world when circumstances demanded it. But every day he battled with that, the pain and the guilt and the rage that had been born in him, thrust upon him. Some days, he lost. And that's when she had to fight for him.

"Yes," she said firmly. "The Empress had to be stopped, and you were the only one who could stop her. But you're still the same man who burned up a sun so I could say goodbye to my mum across the void. You're still the same man who literally gave me his hearts on a chain. And you're the man who, no matter how furious you were, stopped yourself in time to get Donna and me out of there safe. And you know what else? It wasn't that long ago that you would have just spun us off on another adventure, running away from the pain and the guilt, ignoring it while it ate at you inside. But you didn't. You stopped and admitted that you weren't alright. So let me ask you this…do you really still think you're _not_ worth it?"

He stared down at her. Once upon a time, he might not have stopped. It would have been so easy to let go and die with them. He'd come close to that more than once before he'd met Rose. But she never stopped fighting for him, seeing the good in him, dragging him up from the quagmire of despair and rage. She never flinched, never surrendered, and believed in him so much that it had started spilling over and making him believe that he actually stood a chance of overcoming his past. She gave him a reason to fight…and a reason to stop before he lost himself again.

"You're never going to stop trying to fix me, are you?" he asked softly, raising a hand to brush the hair out of her face.

"Never ever," she said with a smile.

He groaned and pulled her against him again, just needing to hold her and be held. After a long moment, he felt her yawn against his chest and smiled. Between saying goodbye to Jackie and the Racnoss, it had been a long day for her, even if she didn't need nearly as much sleep as humans anymore. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her hair before pulling away.

"C'mon," he said, taking her hands and pulling her to the corridor. "Time for tea and bed for the neo-human."

"You said we'd have Christmas in the TARDIS," she said stubbornly.

"I did," he agreed with a smile. "And we will. _After_ you get some sleep. And it'll be…fantastic."


	5. TARDIS Blue Christmas

_**Thank you, once again, all you awesome followers and reviewers, as well as my awesome betababe who's done wonders to keep me sane when I start freaking out and cursing out mutinous characters who refuse to do what I tell them to.**_

_**This one includes a topic I tried to work into conversations in the last story...oh...so many times. It just never seemed to work out quite right. But it needed to be covered, quite desperately. Lest old acquaintance be forgot... **_

**oOoOo**

True to his word, the Doctor gave Rose Christmas in the TARDIS…as only the Doctor could. He took her to a planet that specialized in Christmas trees, and they wandered for hours before he found one that he was satisfied with—which Rose insisted was exactly the same as the one they'd found after ten minutes. He took her all over the Earth for different decorations, and then to London for shopping, jumping them forwards in time for Rose to pick up one of her purchases. They set about making a feast for kings, the Doctor stealthily moving behind Rose, changing the heat setting and timers to make sure she didn't burn anything, knowing she'd be terribly disappointed if she didn't get this one just right. They set up their many decorations in the library while the turkey was roasting, the Doctor stealing kisses underneath the mistletoe whenever possible. He juggled bauble decorations while she strung lights, talking about how the man whose birth was celebrated on December 25th was actually born sometime in March, and how Christmas was moved in order to cover up a pagan winter celebration. They threw more tinsel at each other than at the tree before the Doctor brought out the coup de grace, a TARDIS tree topper. They even hung stockings on the mantle, and Rose was touched to see the Doctor include ones for her parents as well as Mickey and even little Tony. The dinner turned out surprisingly succulent, though the Doctor maintained his innocence, impervious to Rose's suspicious glances. They talked and laughed while they ate, both surprisingly lighthearted. The Doctor refused to allow her to do any cleanup other than putting food away afterwards, instead grabbing a bottle of wine and two glasses before leading her back into the library for presents.

He was delighted with the new blue suit and bright red converses, though couldn't quite understand what the problem was with him wearing the same brown suit all the time, but she just smiled and shook her head as she examined the leather-bound first editions of Charles Dickens novels.

He did thank her genuinely when he opened the leather-bound journal filled with heavy, high quality paper. Before he'd met Rose, he'd started keeping ratty old composition books for journals, although he still wrote in them extensively; the memories simply didn't merit something more worthwhile. Since Rose, however…everything had changed. She had given him things worth remembering again.

Rose had tears in her eyes as he fastened the bracelet he'd given her to the opposite wrist as the charm bracelet. It looked like the same metal as the other pieces of jewelry he'd given her, though it didn't have the sonic clasp, and it had a symbol engraved into it in what she recognized as circular Gallifreyan. He said it was something that Susan had left behind, centuries before. The symbol was her birth name, the one they shared: _Rose_.

"Thank you for this, Doctor," Rose said softly while they cuddled together to watch _White Christmas_. "I know domestic isn't exactly…inside your comfort zone."

"Rose, you _are_ my comfort zone," he said, stroking her hair absently. "And you'd be amazed at what I'd be willing to suffer through for you," he added, grinning down at her.

"Oh, well, in that case, there's some very nice curtains I've found for the windows on the doors—"

"Oi!" he cried, and she giggled. His face softened. "I know it's not the same, love…it's not your family…"

"Doctor…you _are_ my family," Rose said softly. "The only one I've got left in the universe."

The Doctor looked down at her intensely for a moment. Gone was the paralyzing fear of losing her to time in a few decades, but he still couldn't bring himself to believe that she'd really want him for centuries. There was still so much he could never give her…they would always have to be the Doctor and Rose Tyler, so close but never a real family, not like the one she deserved. And, while it was much easier to breathe and pretend that the universe wasn't a tortured place while he had her, all the dark parts of him were still there, the demons simply choosing to bide their time and taunt him rather than being able to continually flog him. He'd proven that he was still far from total redemption.

As he looked down at her now, though, so happy and content to simply be in his arms, he banished the thoughts to some murky place in the back of his mind. As long as she'd have him, he'd be happy with her. After that…well, he'd just have to deal with that then.

"I love you, Rose," he said, his voice a little hoarse.

"Always," she said, smiling a little before leaning up to kiss him.

oOoOo

"So we've done Christmas," the Doctor said a few days later, dancing around the console. "What do you say to a little New Year's celebration?"

"I'm game," Rose said as the TARDIS landed. "Where are we?"

"Well, up until three years ago, this was Longacre Square," he said as he shrugged into his coat and held out Rose's for her. "However, a substantial newspaper moved in, taking over the second tallest building in the city. The owner, one Adolph Ochs, convinced the city to rename the square the same year he decided to hold a New Year's Eve celebration."

"And the name changed to…?" Rose asked as he opened the door and led her out into an alley.

"Rose Tyler, welcome to Times Square," he said with a flourish as they exited the alley into a crowd of people. "It's the thirty-first of December, 1907, and this is the year…hold on, look up," he said, pointing to the top of a tall building, showing off a large, twinkly ball at the top of a flagpole. "This is the first year of the infamous Times Square ball drop."

"Oh, brilliant," Rose breathed, transfixed. The Doctor grinned.

"It's lit by a hundred twenty-five watt bulbs in this first incarnation," he lectured quietly as he took her hand and they weaved through the crowd. "Made of wood and iron and weighing in at about 700 pounds. By your time, it'll have gone through…oh…half a dozen new models? But this…this is the original. Forgotten moment from a hundred thousand sunsets ago…"

She grinned up at him. "Better with two," she said softly.

"Without a doubt," he said, smiling down at her before pulling her back to his chest as midnight neared.

On cue, the ball dropped a second after midnight struck. The Doctor waited until it finished its descent before turning Rose gently in his arms to kiss her thoroughly as the crowd began to sing Auld Lang Syne. This, he quickly decided, definitely topped last year. While he would dearly love to be able to include Jackie and Mickey in their celebration for Rose's sake, kissing her in Times Square like this, holding her close while her hands were buried in his hair, after everything they'd gone through, both what he'd been aware of and what he hadn't remembered until a few weeks ago, _this_ was their reward.

Neither cared to linger long after midnight, so he led her back to the TARDIS, dropping another quick kiss to her mouth after he took her coat before shrugging out of his own and steering them back into the Vortex. He looked up after a moment to see Rose sitting in the captain's seat with a thoughtful expression.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked softly.

She looked up at him, and appeared to be considering him for a moment. "Doctor…what happened to Jack?"

He stared at her for a moment before dropping his eyes to the console again. Why now? Why would she have to ask about him _now_, when everything was actually finally decent and good for the time being? Oh…right…because that's what Rose did. Take his life and flip it upside down without a moment's notice _all the time_. Apparently, that wasn't going to stop just because she didn't have foreknowledge anymore.

Rose might not mention them all the time, but she wouldn't let any acquaintance be forgot, either. Especially not one she cared about so much. But this was one he _really_ wanted to forget.

"Oh, you know Jack," he said evasively. "Rebuilding the Earth, making lewd suggestions at everyone who crosses his path, getting himself into more trouble than is strictly necessary but enjoying every minute of it. The usual."

Rose was quiet for a moment. "Can we go see him then?"

"No," he said quickly. "Besides, why would he want to see us anyway? I'm sure he's made all sorts of new friends that are a bit more…open to his suggestions."

"Doctor," Rose said, and he heard her stand up and move closer to him. "What happened to him?"

"Why are you so concerned all of a sudden?" he asked, avoiding her as he stepped around the console. "He's been gone for a year. Why now?"

"Well, I had a few other things on my mind the last year," Rose retorted, and he winced. "Look, I know he's alive. I guess my real question is why didn't he come with us?"

"Because he couldn't," the Doctor said hoarsely. "I can't have him around. He's wrong."

"What do you mean, wrong?" she asked.

"He died on Satellite 5, Rose," he said after a moment, backing up from the console and burying his hands in his pockets. "A Dalek shot and killed him. And then you brought him back, in all the your Bad Wolf glory. But you couldn't control it. You brought him back for good. He's a fixed thing. It would be painful for me to even look at him now."

"So you ran," she said flatly.

"Yeah," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"You were his best friend," Rose said angrily. "We both were his best friends. And you left him there. No explanation, no goodbye, nothing."

"I'm sure he'll figure it out," he said, scratching the back of his head. "First time some jealous husband—or wife, as the case may be—shoots him, it'll be pretty obvious that he can't die."

"Doctor," Rose said, her voice a warning, and he looked up at her again.

"What would you have had me do, Rose?" he asked, his irritation creeping into his voice. "You were unconscious, and I was minutes from regenerating. He had his…thing, his vortex manipulator. He could get out under his own power. He wasn't just some puppy I left out to drown in the rain, and I didn't have a whole lot of options."

She made a frustrated noise and ran a hand through her hair, leaving her hand at her neck while she took a deep breath.

"I know," she said finally. "I know you didn't. I just…I hate the idea of him out there somewhere, hating us for what he is and the way we left him."

"Hating me, maybe," the Doctor said. "Doubt he'd even know that you had anything to do with it. He didn't see you."

"Yeah…but I knew what was going to happen," Rose reminded him quietly. "I never knew what happened before…I thought he was dead. But now…"

The Doctor suddenly felt the full weight of his decision to leave Jack slam down on him. All the little things that had made him insanely jealous—the hours they'd spend locked in each other's rooms, the whispered conversations that would cease as soon as he was within earshot, the shared looks when they didn't think he'd notice—ran through his mind quickly in an entirely different light, now that he could remember everything. He hadn't just abandoned their friend. He'd taken away Rose's only confidant while her world went mad. He could get over Jack feeling betrayed by him, safe in the certainty he'd never have to actually deal with the consequences. He didn't like the idea of Jack feeling betrayed by Rose, though; Rose feeling guilty for the Doctor's decision was even worse.

"I'm sorry, Rose," he said softly. "Truly, I am. I know how much you cared about him, and what he did for you while he was here."

Rose looked at him, her eyes sad, and he hated himself even more. "So, because he's wrong, that's why you don't want to go see him?"

"Yeah," he said. "I just…I can't. The way I see things…it's hard to explain."

"You said he's fixed," Rose said slowly. "Like a rock embedded in a river. Time moves past him, instead of him moving with it. He's constant. You're a Time Lord, totally connected to Time. Something that doesn't move the way it should grates at you."

He stared at her. "That…is not entirely inaccurate," he said after a moment. "And more than a little impressive."

She took sighed. "Alright, I get it. I don't like it, mind you. But I get it. Just…do me a favor?"

"Anything," he said fervently, just thankful that she wasn't angry anymore.

"If we _do_ ever meet up with him again, explain," she said. "Apologize, and explain. You owe him that."

He let out his breath in a whoosh. "Suppose you're right. And…if you're not actually making me go find him—you're not, right?"

"No," she said with an eyeroll.

"Right," he said. "If you're not making me do that, I suppose the least I can do is try to explain if we _do_ see him again."

Rose walked up to him and put her hands on his chest over his hearts. "Thank you, Doctor," she said softly, then sighed when his arms went around her waist. "Guess I sort of put a damper on New Year's, huh?"

"Well…this definitely wasn't what I was planning on when we came back to the TARDIS," he agreed, then gave her a lopsided grin. "Then again…we do have a time machine. What do you say we go see the unveiling of the second version of the Times Square ball, hmm? 1920 sound alright? We could have New Year's Eve all over again."

"Oh…I dunno," she said in mock reluctance, sliding her hands up around his neck. "Would that come with another kiss?"

"Is there any other way to celebrate?" he asked, taking one of her hands and dancing them around the console, hitting buttons and flicking switches as they passed, and dipping her over his arm just as the TARDIS landed. They both started laughing when Auld Lang Syne started playing around them before racing out to celebrate New Year's Eve for the second time that night.


	6. Jones and the Tylers Part 1

_**Yay, Royal Hope Hospital! And the entrance of one Martha Jones, which...will be interesting.**_

_**Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to the reviewers and followers, and of course my amazing beta, who you should all love as well simply because she's able to keep up with me so that you still get your daily updates.**_

**oOoOo**

"So why did we get new phones?" Rose asked as they wandered the streets while the Doctor examined his new purchases.

"Because your phone needed an update," he said, his gaze switching between the two as he programmed them. "Chip me." Rose laughed and speared a chip to feed to him. "Ta. As for why we got two…I'm tired of finding you just a bit too late when we split up, or vice versa. Be easier if I have one too. Think how much simpler it would have been on Foretiva if I'd just been able to call you with my excellent theories rather than search through that labyrinth for you."

"Yeah, especially since I could have told you your theories were wrong and given you the very simple directions that you would have seen straight off if you weren't so busy being impressive for the princess," she replied smoothly, and he pulled a face. "But are you telling me you don't have any more…I dunno, advanced communication thingies in the TARDIS?" Rose asked.

"Oh…oh, of course I do…yeah, loads of 'em," he said, looking shifty. "These are just...less conspicuous."

"You have no idea where they are, do you?" she asked with a teasing, tongue in teeth grin.

"Not as such, no," he said looking up with a smile. "Right, hold on. Final touch."

He took out his sonic and held it over each phone for a moment, then handed her the pink one, keeping the blue one for himself.

"That's a bit cliche, isn't it?" she asked. "Pink and blue? His and hers?"

"Pink is your favorite color," he said mildly. "And…well…blue…"

"Right," she said with a laugh. "What happened to the jiggery pokery you did to the first one?"

"More advanced phones…better sonic screwdriver…I hate analog," he said, pulling a face again while scrolling through the ringtones.

Rose smiled at him, but then stopped, looking around. She felt an odd tingle in the air…something wasn't right. Almost like…static, but not. She looked across the street at the Royal Hope Hospital and took a step toward it. Sure enough, the tingling feeling got minutely stronger.

"Doctor," she called.

"Hmm?" He turned and sauntered back to her, then followed her gaze up to the hospital. "Oh, that's not good."

"What is it?" she asked.

"What's it feel like to you?" he asked her, looking down at her curiously.

"Sort of…tingly," she said. "Like static, but not."

"Plasma coils," he said, nodding. "Wonder why...mind sticking around for a couple days? See if anything else happens?"

"No, that's fine," she said. "Best chips are here anyway."

The Doctor and Rose watched with growing concern as the plasma coils built up around the hospital over the next couple of days. It soon became apparent that something needed to be done, soon, and the best way to investigate would be to check in.

"Just wanted to get phones," the Doctor said grumpily as they stepped out of the TARDIS near the hospital. "That's all. Blimey. Every time we come to London..."

"Yeah, we've sort of got another issue," Rose said. "Who's gonna check in?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Well, you've got two hearts, and I'm supposed to be dead," Rose said.

"Oh…right." He stared at the hospital. "Your issue would probably be easier to work around. That's just paperwork. Mine…well…"

"Little bit tougher," she said. "I don't want you dissected or something."

"Right," he said, then sighed before taking her hand. "Off we go then. Try to look pale and sickly, alright? We'll go with stomach cramps…not so severe that we draw a lot of attention, but enough that they'll keep us overnight."

She sat to the side in the waiting room, clutching her stomach, while the Doctor filled out her paperwork with astonishing ease, making quick use of the psychic paper as proof of insurance. He walked over to her when he was done, pulling her into his arms as she groaned.

"Way to milk it, Rose," he said quietly, his lips twitching. "I told them we were married. That way they won't try to kick me out."

"The Smiths?" she asked.

He shook his head. "The Tylers. Although, you're maiden name was Smith. Should help with the paperwork issues."

"Well done," she murmured as he kissed her hair lightly.

It wasn't long before a nurse came and called them back. The Doctor played the part well of concerned husband, describing her "symptoms" carefully while she changed into the hospital pyjamas. The took her vitals and a doctor gave her a cursory examination, but as she didn't seem to be in any immediate danger, they were told that her condition would be monitored and she would be checked again during morning rounds.

The Doctor, who had been all ease and charm in front of the nurse, now pulled up a chair and sat next to Rose's bed brooding. He leaned forward and his leg twitched nervously as he frowned around him.

"You _really_ don't like hospitals," Rose commented, watching him.

"Haven't had the best experiences in them, have we?" the Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow. He glanced at her, then looked away again as a look of pain crossed his features.

"Hey," she said softly, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "What is it? What's wrong?"

The Doctor sighed as he leaned back, running a hand through his hair. "I don't like seeing you in that bed. Not after—" He cut off the sentence with a sniff.

Rose winced. She hadn't really thought about that. He'd spent three days by her side in the TARDIS infirmary while she'd been comatose after Canary Wharf, not sure if she'd ever wake up. Needless to say, it had been a dark time for him, one that he didn't like remembering.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, putting a hand on his cheek. He leaned into it, closing his eyes briefly as he let out a breath. "I'm fine, though, remember? Investigation, that's all."

"Yeah, I know," he said, grabbing her hand and kissing her palm. He took a deep breath. "Speaking of which…"

"Yeah, go," she said with a smile. "Try to bring me back some real food, yeah? Stomach cramps mean terrible meals."

"I'll see what I can scrounge up," he said with a chuckle as he stood. "Try and get some sleep. I'll be back soon."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead lightly before sauntering off, all male confidence again. Rose read for a little while, but did finally fall asleep. She woke up a couple of hours later to the Doctor giving her a soft kiss.

"Strictly contraband," he whispered with an eyebrow waggle as he handed her a bowl of chips.

"Oh, you're my hero," she said happily.

"Dunno about that," he said, easing back into a chair. "Haven't found anything that would explain the plasma coils. Eat up quick, morning rounds will start soon, and there's a rather…severe looking nurse eyeing me suspiciously already."

"Gee, I wonder why," Rose muttered around a chip. God knew which room she'd found him trying to get into.

They chatted for a while as Rose polished off the chips, the Doctor hiding the evidence just as morning rounds started. Rose caught his eye when she heard the supervising doctor's patronizing tone to his students, rolling her eyes.

"Now then, Mrs Tyler," the doctor said as the group approached. "Mr Tyler. A very good morning to you both. How are you today?"

"Aw, not so bad," Rose said. "Still a bit, you know. Blah."

"Rose Tyler, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains," the doctor explained. "Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me."

"That wasn't very kind, running about this morning with your wife in the hospital," Jones said as she approached.

"Sorry?" Rose asked, cutting a look at the Doctor, who shrugged, looking startled.

"On Chancellor Street this morning," Jones said. "You came up to me and took your tie off."

"Really?" the Doctor asked, frowning in confusion. "What did I do that for?"

"I don't know, you just did," Martha said.

"Not me," he said. "I was here, with Rose. Ask the nurses. Only time I left was for the cafeteria."

"Well, that's weird, cause it looked like you," Jones said. "Have you got a brother?"

"No, not anymore," he said easily. "Just me and Rose."

"As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones," the doctor said.

"Sorry," she said. "Right."

Jones held the stethoscope to Rose's chest, then to her stomach.

"I weep for further generations," the lead doctor said dramatically. "Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?"

"Um, no," she said. "Could she be pregnant?"

Rose snorted and looked at the Doctor, who merely arched an eyebrow. They'd already discussed the impossibility of them having a child together for practical purposes. Rose decided this was probably for the best. Chances were, they'd be picking up more people as time passed anyway, and a child would only add complications to their already chaotic lifestyle.

"You rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart," the doctor said, reaching for the chart. He dropped it on the bed, though, when the metal of it shocked him.

"That happened to me this morning," Jones said.

"I had the same thing on the door handle," said another student.

"And me, on the lift," chimed in another.

Rose and the Doctor exchanged a look. The plasma coils were getting worse if it was this obvious now.

"That's only to be expected," the doctor said, again looking down on them all. "There's a thunderstorm moving in and lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by…anyone?"

"Benjamin Franklin," the Doctor piped up happily.

"Correct!" the doctor said, glancing at him.

"God, that was a day and a half," Rose said, rolling her eyes. "Got completely soaking wet, and you would _not_ stop whining about those rope burns. Honestly, I survived dangling from a barrage balloon, you could survive a _kite_."

"Quite..." the doctor said uncertainly.

"Oh, but then I got electrocuted," the Doctor said with a grin. "You were surprised I had any hair left. Ah, my mate Ben. Good man."

"Moving on," the doctor said. They grinned when they heard him add to one of the students, "I think perhaps a visit from psychiatric for the pair of them."

"I'm going to see if I can poke around a bit more," the Doctor said after another moment. "Then...it might be time for a miraculous recovery."

"Thank god for that," Rose said. "I don't do bedrest well. Avoid the severe nurse."

"Aye aye," he said, snapping off a lazy salute before heading off again.

Rose read again for a bit, then worked on the crossword the Doctor left. It wasn't long, though, before she was officially bored out of her mind. She looked out at the rain that had started...then looked further down the street at the dry pavements.

The Doctor hurried in just as the rain started going up. Rose was already gathering up her clothes to change.

"This is not good," he said as he pulled the curtain around for her to change. "Looks like an H2O scoop. That's what the plasma coils were for. It's not inside the hospital, it's somewhere above it."

He grabbed her when the whole building shook, pulling her down to the floor.

"H2O scoop?" she asked when the shaking finally stopped. He nodded, his face hard.

"You okay?" he asked, helping her to her feet.

She nodded. "Where are we?"

The Doctor glanced at the window. "Looks like...the Moon."

"What, seriously?" she asked. "Do you know, in all our travels, this is the first time on the Moon?"

"Not exactly a tourist destination," he said dryly.

She snorted and turned her attention back to getting dressed as they heard Jones calling to everyone to return to their beds during the emergency.

"It's real," they heard the young doctor in training say from near the window. "It's really real. Hold on!"

"Don't!" said one of her colleagues through tears. "We'll lose all the air!"

"But they're not exactly air tight," Jones said reasonably. The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look. "If the air was going to get sucked out it would have happened straight away, but it didn't. So how come?"

"Very good point!" the Doctor said, pulling aside the curtain just as Rose finished pulling on her trainers. "Brilliant, in fact. What was your name?"

"Martha," she said.

"And it was Jones, wasn't it?" he asked, striding over as she nodded. "Well then, Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing?"

"We can't be!" said the other student doctor.

"But we are," Rose said, moving over to the girl and touching her arm. "So we're safe enough right now, just calm down."

"Martha, what have we got?" the Doctor asked, peering out the window. "Is there a balcony on this floor, or a veranda, or...?"

"By the patients' lounge, yeah," Martha said.

"Fancy going out with us?" the Doctor asked.

"Okay," she said weakly.

"We might die," he reminded her, arching an eyebrow.

"We might not," she said.

"Good!" he said, with a nod of approval. "C'mon. Not her, she'd hold us up," he added, pointing at the sobbing colleague.

"Rude," Rose said quietly as they hurried along a corridor.

"It was the truth!" the Doctor said.

"Still rude," Rose said stubbornly. "The girl had a shock."

"And what was your first thought?" he asked pointedly.

"How are we breathing?" she replied reluctantly.

"Exactly, not 'we can't be breathing', because there's no point in that, is there?" he asked.

"Just like how we couldn't be in orbit around a black hole, hmm?" Rose asked, arching an eyebrow.

He hesitated. "Yeah, alright, but that really should...ugh, fine, you win. Rude and not ginger."

"That's all I'm saying," Rose said with a grin.

He shot her a look before rolling his eyes and shaking his head as they reached the doors. They each took a handle and opened the double doors together, stepping out onto the balcony. Martha followed closely behind them.

"We've got air!" Martha said as they approached the railing. "How does that work?"

"Just be glad it does," Rose said, leaning on the railing to look down.

"I've got a party tonight," Martha said. "It's my brother's twenty-first. My mother's going to be really...really..."

"You okay?" Rose asked, watching her closely.

"Yeah," she said quickly.

"Sure?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah."

"Want to go back in?" he asked.

"No way," she said immediately. "I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same - it's beautiful."

"You think?" the Doctor asked, eyeing her appraisingly.

"How many people want to go to the moon?" she asked excitedly. "And here we are!"

"Standing in the earthlight," the Doctor said.

"What do you think happened?" she asked after a moment.

"What do you think?" he countered, leaning on the railing next to Rose. Rose tilted her head at him. He was testing her.

"Extraterrestrial," Martha said firmly. "It's got to be. I don't know, a few years ago that would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben...Christmas...those Cybermen things." She paused, her face becoming sad. "I had a cousin. Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home."

"I'm sorry," Rose said quietly.

"Yeah," Martha said.

"We were there," the Doctor said. "Rose and I. In the battle. It was..." He trailed off and swallowed hard.

"I promise you, Mr and Mrs Tyler, we will find a way out," Martha said with authority. "If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There's got to be a way."

"Yeah, we're not married," the Doctor said, straightening and walked around the balcony. Rose didn't miss the new interest that sparked in Martha's eyes as she looked the Doctor up and down. "My name's not Tyler. That was just so I could stay with Rose."

"Who are you, then?" Martha asked.

"Well, she _is_ Rose Tyler," he said, nodding at Rose, who had started her own prowl around the balcony. "I'm the Doctor."

"Me too, if I can pass my exams," Martha said. "What is it, then, Doctor Tyler?"

"Just the Doctor," he said.

"How do you mean, just the Doctor?" she asked.

"Just... the Doctor."

"What, people call you 'the Doctor'?" she asked incredulously.

"All the time," Rose said. "I do."

"Well, I'm not," Martha said. "As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title."

"Well, I'd better make a start, then," the Doctor said distractedly as Rose silently picked up a pebble and threw it into open space, where it passed through an invisible barrier. "Oh...some sort of force field keeping the air in."

"If that's like a bubble sealing us in," Martha said slowly, "that means this is the only air we've got. What happens when it runs out?"

"How many people in this hospital?" he asked.

"I don't know, a thousand?" she asked.

"One thousand people...suffocating," the Doctor said.

"Why would anyone do that?" Martha asked.

"Head's up!" the Doctor said, pulling at Rose's waist. "Ask them yourself."

They looked up to see massive, pillar-like alien ships descending on the moon just outside the force field. Once they had landed, black shapes with huge helmets poured out of them in ordered lines, marching toward the hospital.

"Aliens," Martha said quietly. "That's aliens. Real, proper aliens."

"Judoon," the Doctor said darkly, tightening his grip on Rose. "C'mon."


	7. Jones and the Tylers Part 2

They made their way back through the hospital toward the entrance, hiding behind some plants on the mezzanine level as the Chief Judoon took off his helmet and spoke to the crowd. Once it had assimilated the language, the Chief Judoon explained roughly that they were to be catalogued by species.

"Catalogue all suspects," it ordered to the troops.

The rest of the Judoon began grabbing people, shining a blue scanner at them to check their species, and marking them with a cross as each came up human. Rose looked around, then nudged the Doctor.

"Oh, look," she said, pointing. "This one's got a shop."

"I do like a little shop," the Doctor said with a grin.

"Never mind that!" Martha cried. "What are Judoon?"

"Didn't you say they were like...galactic police or something?" Rose asked.

"Well, police for hire," the Doctor said, moving around to get a better look. "More like interplanetary thugs."

"And they were the ones behind the H2O scoop?" Rose asked. "They brought us to the moon?"

"Neutral territory," he said with a nod. "According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, so they isolated us."

"What's an H20 scoop?" Martha asked.

"That rain, going upwards, and the lightening," Rose told her.

"And 'galactic law'?" she asked. "Where'd you get that from? If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

"_They_ brought us here," Rose pointed out. "Not exactly trespassing if the police are the ones dragging you to a place."

"No," the Doctor said. "They're making a catalogue, which means they're after something non-human…which is very bad news for us."

"Why?" Martha asked, and the Doctor just looked at her, arching an eyebrow. "Oh, you're kidding me. Don't be ridiculous. Stop looking at me like that."

"Come on, then," he said, jumping to his feet and striding off again. He led them up the stairs towards the records room. "Martha, stay here and watch them. Let me know if they get closer. Rose, come with me."

"You don't think I'll catalogue as human," Rose said when they were inside the records room.

"No, I don't," he said as he turned to the computer, pulling out his sonic. "Mostly human, but not nearly enough in this particular case. And since I'm not sure what exactly they're looking for yet, I don't want us splitting up unless we have to."

Rose studied him for a moment. "What happens if they think we're what they're looking for?"

"They execute us," he said in a hard voice, his eyes trained on the screen, but the muscles in his shoulders tensing.

"They've reached third floor," Martha said as she burst in. "What's that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor said without looking up.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly!" she snapped.

"No, really, it is," he said, glancing up. "It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic. Look."

"Soniced up," Rose teased, and he rolled his eyes at her before going back to the screen.

"What else have you got?" Martha asked. "A laser spanner?"

"Don't," Rose advised her. "He's still mad about that."

"Cheeky woman," the Doctor muttered before hitting the computer and making them both jump. "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon." He ran hand over his jaw and turned to them as Rose stepped closer. "We were just passing through, we weren't looking for trouble, honestly, we weren't, just phones and chips, that's all, but then there were these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning, that's plasma coils, it's been building up for two days now, so Rose checked in, 'cause I thought something was going on inside, it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

Rose stepped up to him quickly during his tirade, putting her hands on his shoulders as he turned away from them again. He bowed his head for a moment, letting out a breath.

"But what were they looking for?" Martha asked.

"Something that looks human, but isn't," the Doctor said.

"Like you two," she said. "Apparently."

"Like us, but not us," Rose said firmly.

"Haven't they got a photo?" she asked.

"Might be a shape-changer," Rose said thoughtfully.

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" Martha asked, giving Rose an odd look.

"If they declare the hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution," the Doctor said.

"All of us?"

"Oh yes. But if I can find this thing first... Oh!" he cried, smacking the screen again. "Just that they're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They wiped the records. Oh, that's clever."

"What are we looking for?" Martha asked.

"I don't know," he said, hands going through his already wild hair. "Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms. Maybe there's a back-up," he added, grabbing the computer and tilting it around to reach the back.

"Just keep working," Martha said. "I'll go ask Mr Stoker, he might know."

"I'll go with you," Rose said, but the Doctor's arm shot out with lightning speed and grabbed her wrist. "Doctor, there might be something dangerous out there."

"There's more things likely to be dangerous to you then to her," he said. "Go, Martha."

Martha hesitated, then nodded and left.

"Doctor," Rose started.

"_No_, Rose," he said, using his sonic at the back of the computer. "I love you, I trust you implicitly, you are fully capable of taking care of yourself...but that does _not_ mean that I'm alright with you running around in a hospital full of things ready to execute you on sight just to keep someone else who is relatively safe company. I told you, we're not splitting up on this one unless we absolutely have to. This situation is too dangerous for both of us, because if they find us before I figure out what the hell they're after, they'll execute us, and if I don't find what they're after soon, they'll execute everyone."

He thumped the computer again and went still for a moment, breathing deeply. Rose felt distinctly frustrated, missing the foreknowledge that she'd been functioning with the last couple of years. As wonderful as it was not to have to hide from the Doctor anymore, it would have been nice to have some clue as to where to go from here.

She reached out and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind, and he shuddered. He brought a hand up to her arms and squeezed gently.

"I'll get us out of this, I swear," he said roughly.

"I know," she said. "This one's all you. Whatever you need."

"Thank you," he said, sighing a little. "Right, backup," he said, pulling her arms away and turning back to the computer.

He worked quickly for another few minutes before he managed to restore the backup and flip through patient files. He came up with a few possible suspects and grabbed Rose's hand, pulling her out into the hall to find Martha. The young doctor in training skidded into them in the hall.

"I've restored the back-up," the Doctor said.

"I found her," Martha told him.

"You what?" he asked, stunned, just as the man in leather broke through a door after them. "Run!" he shouted, grabbing Rose's hand and pushing Martha in front of him. They ran down the stairs, the man in leather close on their heels, and turned for the next flight of stairs to find Judoon coming up towards them. The Doctor spun and pushed both women through the door to the fourth floor corridor. They sprinted down another maze of corridors, skidding around corners, until the Doctor pushed them both into the radiology room, closing the door on the man behind them and locking it with the sonic.

"When I say 'now', press the button," the Doctor said, pushing them into the shielded room.

"Which one, Martha?" Rose asked urgently.

"I don't know!" the other woman cried.

"Wonderful," Rose snapped, leaping for a user's manual. She flipped through it quickly, looking for diagrams as the man in leather burst in.

"Now!" the Doctor shouted, and Rose smashed at a likely looking yellow button. The X-ray machine zapped on, and the skeleton of the leather-man could be seen before he fell to the floor.

"What did you do?" Martha asked.

"Increased the radiation by five thousand per cent," the Doctor said. "Killed him dead."

"But…Doctor…you're…" Rose stared at him and swallowed hard. She didn't want another regeneration. She was just getting her second chance with this one.

"Won't that kill you too?" Martha asked as the Doctor looked up at Rose, his face softening as he shook his head.

"Nah, it's only roentgen radiation," he said cheerfully. "We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery. It's safe for you to come out, I've absorbed it all. All I need to do is expel it," he said, hopping around as they left the shield room. "If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go, easy does it…Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out, ah, ah, ah, ah. Itches, itches, itches, itches, itches—Ah, hold on." He took off his shoe and threw it into the dustbin. "Done. Oh…That was a Christmas present," he added with a disappointed look.

"You're completely mad," Martha said.

"You're right. I look daft with one shoe," he said, pulling off the other shoe and chucking it as well. "Barefoot on the moon!"

"Oh, you stupid bloody—" Rose said, launching herself at him.

"Hey now," he interrupted, holding her close. "I'm alright."

"Little warning would be nice," she said, still clinging to his neck. "Just a 'hey, Rose, I'm about to absorb a lethal amount of radiation, but hey, don't worry, it's not the kind that kills me'. Would that be so hard?"

"Next time, I promise," he said. "Sorry."

"So what is that thing?" Martha asked, kneeling by the dead...thing. "And where's it from? The planet Zovirax?"

"It's just a Slab," the Doctor said, releasing Rose to kneel by it. "They're called 'Slabs'. Basic slave drones, see? Solid leather, all the way through."

"Someone has got one hell of a fetish," Rose commented, and the Doctor grinned at her as he stood and turned to the x-ray machine.

"It came with that woman, Mrs. Finnegan," Martha said, standing as well. "It was working for her. Just like a servant."

"My sonic screwdriver," the Doctor said in dismay as he pulled the dilapidated remains out of the machine.

"She was one of the patients, but—"

"I burnt out my sonic screwdriver!" he said, pouting.

"She had a straw like some kind of vampire," Martha continued, ignoring him.

"I loved my sonic screwdriver!" he whined.

"Doctor!" cried Martha.

"Sorry," he said, looking up at her as he tossed the sonic behind his shoulder. "You called me 'Doctor'."

"Anyway!" Martha said pointedly. "Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood."

"Funny time for a snack," Rose said, earning another odd look from Martha. She got the distinct feeling the medical student wasn't fond of her, though she wasn't entirely sure why. "You'd think she'd be hiding."

"Unless...no..." the Doctor said, staring at her blankly as the wheels turned in his head. "Yes, that's it, wait a minute. Yes! Shape-changer. Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it. If she can assimilate Mr Stoker's blood, mimic the morphology, she can register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!"

He ran out of the room and down the corridor, skidding around another corner before pulling both girls to the side and down behind a water cooler. They looked up to see another Slab walk by them.

"That's the thing about Slabs," he said. "They always travel in pairs."

"Like you?" Martha asked, eyeing Rose.

"What?" she asked.

"What are you...like, his backup?" the student doctor asked. "His assistant? Trainee?"

"Humans," the Doctor said while Rose looked at Martha in confusion. "We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking personal questions. Come on."

"I like that," Martha said sarcastically as they rose to their feet and turned a corner. "'Humans'. I'm still not convinced you're aliens."

They stepped out in front of the Judoon, who shined the blue scanner at the Doctor.

"Non-human," it reported.

"Oh my God, you really are!" cried Martha.

"And again!" the Doctor shouted, sprinting down the corridor.

They took off down the corridor, ducking around a corner as the Judoon blasted lasers after them. They ran up the stairs, the Doctor locking the door manually behind them, before coming out into a corridor where people were falling to the ground, gasping for breath as the oxygen started running out.

"They've done this floor," the Doctor said, taking a cursory glance around. "Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky."

They made their way swiftly down the hall, past the collapsing patients. Martha stopped near the other medical student who had been crying earlier, who was holding an oxygen mask to a young girl.

"How much oxygen is there?" Martha asked her.

"Not enough for all these people," the woman replied. "We're going to run out."

"How are you feeling?" the Doctor asked Martha. "Are you all right?"

"I'm running on adrenaline," she said, though it would be hard to miss the fact that she was already panting a little.

"Welcome to my world," the Doctor said. "Rose? You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she said, ignoring the slight burn that was creeping into her chest. "What about the Judoon?"

"Ah, great big lung reserves," he said. "It won't slow them down. Where's Mr Stoker's office?"

"It's this way," she said, guiding them through the corridor. She was surprised when they entered and no one was there. "She's gone! She was here."

The Doctor and Rose hurried over to Stoker's supine form. His skin was gray and his eyes were open, unseeing.

"She drained him dry..." Rose said, feeling a little sick.

"Every last drop," he muttered. "I was right. She's a plasmavore."

"But I don't get it," Rose said. "If she's supposed to be on the run or hiding or whatever, what is she still doing here? Just scanning as human isn't going to save her for long. You said the Judoon would execute everyone if they can't find her."

"That, Rose Tyler, is a very good point," he murmured, glancing down at the body again before surging to his feet, grabbing Rose's hand and dragging her up with him. "Come on."

"Hold on," she said, putting a hand on his chest to stop him as Martha stepped over to Stoker, bending down to gently close his eyes before following them.


	8. Jones and the Tylers Part 3

_**Holy cats, you guys...over a hundred reviews in seven chapters? You guys are rock stars. Although, now I fully expect to have two hundred by chapter fifteen. Just sayin'. So...you know...get on that :P Seriously, though...thanks so much. Lovely to see this one as enjoyed as the previous.**_

**oOoOo**

The Doctor strode just ahead of the two women, his mind whirring. He had to fix this before the Judoon decided they were all worthy of execution. Chips and phones, that was it, and now he was fighting for his life and Rose's on the bloody moon with some intern who was absolutely brilliant but asked personal questions as if she had some—

_Focus_.

"Think, think, think," he said. "If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" He glanced around and caught sight of the sign for the MRI room and groaned. "She's as clever as me. Almost."

"Meaning?" Rose asked, just as they heard Judoon voices quite close.

"I need time," he said quickly, turning and glancing between them. Rose, he was sure, would confuse the hell out of the scanners, but far more than was safe for this situation. It had to be Martha. Oh, Rose was not going to be happy… "You're going to have to hold them up," he told Martha.

"How do I do that?"

"Forgive me for this," he said, his eyes flitting between Rose and Martha. "It's to save a thousand lives, it means nothing. Honestly, nothing."

And he leaned down and pressed his lips to Martha's, feeling Rose's shocked gaze on him the whole time. He released her as soon as he dared, grabbed Rose's hand and took off through the corridors. He slowed as he got closer to the MRI room, stopping just before the door. He turned and pressed Rose against the wall, kissing her fiercely before opening the door to a supply cupboard next to the room and pushing her inside.

"Whatever happens," he whispered urgently in her ear when he pulled away, "whatever you hear, you need to stay here."

"No, I'm not just gonna—"

"Yes, you are," he ordered. "_Please_, Rose. I can't debate this with you. Please, just do as I say, and _stay here_."

She watched him for a moment, her eyes wide, then gave a small nod. He let out a breath and kissed her forehead quickly before shutting the door and moving to the MRI room. There was one way to be sure that the plasmavore would scan as non-human…he really hoped he didn't die. Rose might try to bring him back just to kill him herself.

oOoOo

Rose paced the couple of steps she was allowed in the tiny closet she had been shoved into. She had gotten used to being the one who already knew what was happening, already knew the plan. It was hard getting used to being in the dark again. She also hated that the Doctor had apparently done a backslide from the whole equality thing. He'd kissed the medical student—yeah, alright, somehow that was going to save everyone, whatever—after making Rose dose him with radiation, and now he was trying to hide her away while he did god knew what to save everyone.

"Bollocks to _that_," she muttered, easing the door open and checking the hall for Judoon before turning to the MRI room and slipping inside, thankful that there was a curtain to give her some kind of cover.

She listened as the Doctor used his "confused human" act to pull information from Miss Finnegan, and grew more and more concerned. If she wasn't stopped soon, she was going to fry everyone…assuming the Judoon didn't first. She bit her lip when he told the plasmavore that the Judoon were upping their scans—a bluff, but it would make her panicky. But she'd just try to assimilate again. What was the—her mind froze in horror as she realized exactly what the Doctor was planning. There was one reliable way to make certain she would scan as non-human: assimilate the blood of a non-human. She cursed inwardly. That was…such a Doctor plan. Unique, effective, and horribly, terribly dangerous. How much blood would it take to scan as non-human? Surely she didn't have to kill him. Regardless, Rose wasn't going to let that happen. She pulled aside part of the curtain to watch surreptitiously when Miss Finnegan gave the order for him to be steadied, and felt a surge of hatred for the woman as she stuck her stupid bloody straw in the Doctor's neck. She felt sick when the plasmavore started drinking his blood, and had to force herself to stay still. When he started to go limp she'd had enough, spinning from her hiding place and kicking the Slab high on the back so it stumbled forward, dragging the Doctor away with it.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the Doctor shouted, superior biology apparently aiding his recovery—that, or he was just _incredibly_ angry at her. Probably both. No matter, he was alive…pale, but so alive.

"Or, how about you keep her from roasting half the planet?" Rose said quickly, ducking when the Slab turned and made to grab her.

"Right," the Doctor said, scrambling up and blocking the door to the shielded room as Miss Finnegan tried to run for it. "Sorry, guess I was wrong…the wife doesn't seem to like you much after all."

Rose snorted as she dodged another blow from the Slab. "Leather all through, yeah?"

"Yep," the Doctor said, his eyes still on the now snarling plasmavore.

"Right," Rose said, and aimed a kick at the Slab's chest, sending it reeling back into the overclocked MRI machine. The sparks coming off machine engulfed it, making it seize momentarily before it dropped to the floor.

"Not that I'm condoning violence, Rose," the Doctor said. "But you've been holding out on me."

"Pete's Torchwood," she got out between gasps. The exertion had made her labored breathing even more difficult as the oxygen was depleted, and she saw his eyes flash to her in concern as she sank to the ground. The plasmavore tried to use his distraction to slip past him into the shielded room, but he wrapped one long arm around her, holding her in place.

"Oh, no," he said. "I'm taking you to the Judoon right now."

The door slammed open suddenly, and the Judoon entered in force with Martha trailing behind and yelling at them, making Rose grin despite the fact that her head was swimming and black dots were dancing in her vision.

"You will be cataloged," the Chief Judoon said as Martha looked around. The Doctor was holding onto Miss Finnegan and looked pale and shaken, while Rose and the Slab were both slumped to the floor. It was maybe ten minutes since he took off after kissing her. What the hell happened?

"Non-human," one of the Judoon reported, scanning Rose. "Species: unknown. Genetic augmentation suspected."

"No," the Doctor growled, lunging forward even while maintaining his firm grip on Miss Finnegan. "She's innocent."

"It's her!" Martha cried, pointing at Miss Finnegan while the Doctor attempted to wipe the look of horror from his face. "She killed Mr Stoker! She drank his blood!"

"Judoon!" the Doctor said in an authoritative voice. "Under Article 28 of galactic law, I've made a civilian arrest of this criminal plasmavore, held until such time as proper authorities could receive her. She assimilated one of the humans here in order to bypass your scans."

"I don't know what he's talking about," Miss Finnegan said, shaking off his hands, and he let her go, stepping to the side with an arched brow as scanners were beamed in her direction. "Scan all you like, I'm as human as they come."

"Non-human," the Judoon reported.

"What?" she asked, stunned.

"Confirm analysis."

"Oh, but it's a mistake, surely," Mrs Finnegan said sweetly.

"Confirmed: Plasmavore," the Chief Judoon said. "I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess of Patrival Regency Nine."

"She deserved it!" Miss Finnegan spat. "Those pink cheeks and those blond curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of a plasmavore."

"Do you confess?" the Chief asked.

"Confess? I'm proud of it!" she cried, darting into the shield room and pressing something.

"No, wait!" the Doctor cried out, but was roundly ignored.

"Verdict: guilty," the Chief Judoon said as a warning light came on. "Sentence: execution."

"Enjoy your victory, Judoon," the plasmavore hissed. "Because you're going to burn with me. Burn in hell!"

Her last word was drawn out as the Judoon shot at the window, melting it before she was disintegrated.

"Case closed," the chief Judoon said.

"What did she mean, 'burn with me'?" Martha asked as they turned to go and the Doctor stooped over Rose. "The scanner shouldn't be doing that," she added. "She's done something."

The chief Judoon walked over and scanned it quickly. "Scans detect lethal acceleration of monomagnetic pulse."

"Well, do something!" Martha shouted. "Stop it!"

"Our jurisdiction has ended," it said, ignoring her. "Judoon will evacuate."

"You can't just leave it," Martha said. "What's it going to do?"

"All units withdraw," it said, ignoring her.

Martha made to follow them as they departed, but the Doctor grabbed her wrist.

"Leave it, Martha," the Doctor said quickly, standing straight again. "They won't help. Fortunately, you have me."

He grinned at her and darted into the shielded room, checking through various wires before pulling a plug that shut the whole scanner down.

"See? Sorted. Molto bene," he said, coming back out and kneeling by Rose again to pull her into his arms.

"But now what?" Martha asked, gasping for breath and using the wall to steady herself as she staggered after him into the hall, past various patients and staff that were slumped to the ground in various states of oxygen starvation. "We're still stuck on the moon, and the oxygen is still running out."

"I know," he said quietly as he carried the girl back towards the ward. He stopped in front of the windows and glanced at her. "You might want to sit down before you collapse."

"What about you?" she gasped as she did as he said.

"Non-human," he reminded her, still looking out the window.

She was too out of breath to try to ask what that meant, so she just turned and watched out the window as the Judoon ships took off.

"Come on, come on, come on," he muttered. "Come on, Judoon, reverse it."

Then, just before she passed out, it started raining. The Doctor beamed and held Rose closer.

"It's raining, Rose," she heard him murmur. "It's raining on the moon."

oOoOo

The Doctor and Rose slipped out a side door of the hospital once it was safely back on Earth and Rose was again conscious. They stopped briefly on their way to the TARDIS to wave to Martha before going home, the Doctor quickly spinning them off into the Vortex. He continued to pace around the console, spinning and flicking controls at random and avoiding Rose's gaze.

"You're angry," she said after a moment.

He stopped, looking up at her. "You did what you thought was best," he said carefully.

"But you don't agree with it," she said.

He looked back down at the controls. "Doesn't matter," he said. "It's over, done with."

"But you're still upset."

"What did you expect, Rose?" he asked, stepping away from the console and running a hand through his hair. "Did you think I'd be _happy_ that you ran headlong into danger after I _begged_ you to stay put?"

"If I had stayed put, you could have died!" she retorted.

"So could you!" he shot back angrily. "After you passed out, the Judoon scanned you, and you came up non-human. If Martha hadn't distracted them, if I hadn't known what to say, they would have executed you on the spot!"

"And if I hadn't shown up, that plasmavore would have bled you dry!" she shouted. "Never mind the fact that you made me think that I'd killed you _again_, never mind that you kissed some medical student—"

"It was not a _kiss_!" he cut in. "It was a genetic transfer to buy me time!"

"—but hiding me away while you went on some suicide mission was so far beyond the realm of alright I can't even begin to explain it," she continued, ignoring him. "Would you have even regenerated from that, Doctor?"

"That's…that's not the point—"

"Yeah, it is," she said. "'Cause you _still_ don't get it. You can't just keep me in the dark because you think it's better for me."

"What happened to 'this one is all you, whatever you need'?" he asked acidly, even while doubt crept in that she might actually have a point.

"That goes out the window when you decide to sacrifice yourself and leave me alone," she spat back. "We're all we've got, Doctor. Sooner or later, you're going to have to accept that."

They stood glaring at each other across the console for another minute before she spun around and stalked down the corridor.

"We're not done here," the Doctor called.

"I am," she said. "You're obviously not going to listen, and right now, I don't really want to either. I'm going to shower. You want to do something, you should go get Martha. She deserves a trip…she did help."

"Maybe I will," he said, more annoyed now that she was simply walking away from him. "Maybe _she'll_ actually listen to me."

"Yeah, maybe," Rose said with a dismissive wave. "Might wanna avoid any more _genetic transfers_ though. Could get confusing."

He made an irritated noise and spun back to the console. Bloody woman. He'd told her to stay in that cupboard, and she hadn't listened. He had every right to be angry. Granted, he might not have factored in _all_ the variables when he headed off to the plasmavore…but that was completely beside the point. Alright, he probably should have said something before the radiation…and before the genetic transfer…and…

No. She was supposed to stay put.

_Could you have stopped the plasmavore from killing you?_ the TARDIS sang in his mind.

_**You**__ stay out of this!_ he shot back.

_You tried to control her again,_ the ship hummed. _You made decisions for her because you were frightened for her. Which is the same reason she ignored you._

Brilliant, now they were ganging up on him. He spun and stalked down the corridor, performing a sonic rinse and changing back into his brown suit—he didn't want to wear the blue one again until he found more red trainers—muttering to himself the whole time about stubborn women and interfering spaceships. It wasn't until he was back in the console room and searching for Martha that he sighed heavily, hating everything as he grudgingly admitted they might be right.

oOoOo

Martha watched as her family took off in two separate directions along the usual fault line. Leo always went with Dad, Trish always ran after Mum, and everyone got mad at her no matter which way she ran. She sighed and looked up to see the Doctor standing at the opening of an alley, leaning on a wall casually. He smiled when he saw her looking, pushing off the wall and vanishing into the alley. She hesitated for a second before following. When she found him again, he was leaning on a what looked like a blue shed, the same one she'd seen him and Rose disappear into earlier before it...well...disappeared.

"I went to the moon today," she said softly.

"A bit more peaceful than down here," he commented.

She gave him a small smile. "You never even told me who you are."

"The Doctor," he said.

"What sort of species?" she asked, stepping closer. "It's not every day I get to ask that."

"I'm a Time Lord," he said.

He didn't seem nearly as cheerful as he had earlier. Still just as fit, though, she realized as she eyed his lean form. She wondered again what, exactly, his relationship with the alien girl was.

"Right!" she teased, trying to draw out the cheerful man she'd seen earlier. "Not pompous at all, then."

He barely smirked. "I just thought…since you were such a big help…and I've got a brand new sonic screwdriver which needs road testing…you might fancy a trip."

"What, into space?" she asked, eyeing him.

"Well…"

"I can't," she said reluctantly. "I've got exams. I've got things to do. I have to go into town first thing and pay the rent, I've got my family going mad…"

_And you're a mystery man who's too dangerous for words_, she added in her head.

"If it helps," he said slowly, "I can travel in time, as well."

"Get out of here," she said.

"I can," he insisted.

"Come on now," she said, smiling. "That's going too far."

"I'll prove it," he said, and, with a swish of his long coat, disappeared into the box. Martha heard a strange whirring noise, and the box faded from view. She stepped forward in disbelief, putting her hand out to where it had been, but backed away hurriedly when the noise got louder again, and wind whipped at her. The Doctor stepped out again, smirking and holding up his tie...

Martha stared at him in disbelief. She just now realized that this was the suit he'd been wearing when she'd seen him this morning on Chancellor Street, before he'd sworn up and down that he hadn't left the hospital.

Who _was_ this man?

"Told you," he said, swinging the tie.

"I know, but…that was this morning!" she cried. "But—Did you…Oh, my God! You can travel in time!"

He smirked again, pulling the tie back over his head and knotting it back into place.

"But hold on," she said. "If you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go in to work?"

"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden," he said. "Except for cheap tricks."

"And that's your spaceship?" she asked, stepping forward to touch it.

"It's called the TARDIS," he said. "Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

The weird day had, unbelievably, turned into a weirder night. He was the man who had saved everyone's life, not to mention gave her one hell of a kiss, standing here explaining impossible things like they were an everyday occurrence. And he was looking at her with gorgeous brown eyes, waiting expectantly for her observations about it.

"Your spaceship's made of wood," she said, proud at how normal she sounded. "There's not much room. We'd be a bit intimate. Especially if Rose is in there as well," she added, the question hinted none too lightly.

"Take a look," he offered, pushing the door open.

She walked in after another moment's hesitation, and froze, staring at an almost cathedral like room. She spun and ran back out.

"Oh, no, no," she said, staring up at it and running around the outside. "But it's just a box. But it's huge. How does it do that? It's wood," she said, knocking on the side before stepping back inside. "It's like a box with that room just rammed in. It's bigger on the inside."

"Is it?" the Doctor asked, sounding surprised as he walked up the ramp and took his coat off, tossing it aside. "I hadn't noticed. All right, then, let's get going."

"But is there a crew?" she asked, gazing around as she followed him. "Like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone?"

"Just me and Rose," he said, not looking at her.

"Where is Rose?" she asked, a little disappointed. She hadn't seen her, and she couldn't help hoping the blonde had been a temporary installation in his life. Apparently not. Still…he had kissed her.

"Oh…she's around," the Doctor said vaguely. "She's…well…never mind."

"Sure she's okay with me being here?" she asked.

"She suggested it," he said, surprising her. That…was a good sign, she decided. They couldn't be together if she was suggesting he invite other women he'd kissed after just a few hours. "Just a trip to say 'thanks', mind," he added. "I'm…we're better off on our own."

"You're the one that kissed me," she reminded him.

"_That_ was a genetic transfer," he said, eyeing her briefly before moving away.

"And if you will wear a tight suit…" she added, following him.

"Now…don't!" he said hurriedly.

"And then travel all the way across the universe just to ask me on a date…" she said.

"Stop it," he said, turning to her, his face serious.

_Alright, alien boy,_ she thought, _hard to get it is._

"For the record?" she said. "I'm not remotely interested. I only go for humans."

"Good," he said with a smile before turning back to his console. She couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. "Well, then. Close down the gravitic anomalizer. Fire up the helmic regulator. And finally—the hand brake. Ready?"

"No," she said with a disbelieving chuckle.

"Off we go," he said, pulling a lever. The whole place lurched and started shaking, making them both nearly fall over.

"Blimey, it's a bit bumpy," she said.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Jones," he said, holding out his hand.

"It's my pleasure, Mr Tyler," she said, shaking it.


	9. Exploration

**_Thanks for all the contributions to my substantial review goal :) Happy to see you all more or less enjoyed the way the hospital adventure turned out. And yes, Martha is still Martha...I think the character loses depth if the...less wonderful...parts of her personality are ignored. Just my opinion. Anyhow, moving on!_**

**oOoOo**

The Doctor stabilized them in the Vortex and spun Martha around so she was facing the corridor running off the console room.

"Oh my god, you're kidding me," she said. "There's _more_?"

"Oh, yes," he said. "Go on, explore. I need to…take care of some things, then we'll be off."

He walked down the corridor and took the first left, knowing that the TARDIS would take him where ever Rose was without him really needing to know.

"Wait, but how will I find you?" he heard Martha ask behind him. He turned to find her staring down the corridor at the many doors and offshoots, looking a little overwhelmed.

"Don't worry," he called back. "Hard to really get lost on this ship unless something's really wrong with her. When you want to find me, you will. Otherwise, have fun." He walked another couple steps, but turned again with an afterthought. "Just…do me a favor…any door that's locked or stuck…just leave it that way, alright? Chances are, there's a reason."

She nodded before walking off, and he turned around again, wandering the corridors until he found a sliding glass door that led to a very strange view indeed. He stepped through and gazed out at what looked for all the world like the balcony outside Jackie's flat at the Powell Estate.

"This is new," he commented.

"Psychic ship strikes again," Rose said, leaning against the railing. "Guess she knew I missed Mum. This is the closest she could get."

"It's pretty close," he offered, stepping up to the railing next to her. She shrugged. He leaned on the railing and looked out on the simulated horizon for a moment silently. "You realize you're the most stubborn woman who ever lived, right?" he asked finally.

"Maybe," Rose said, glancing sideways at him. "But you're the biggest control freak who ever lived."

"That's…entirely possible," he admitted with a sigh, thinking back to what the TARDIS had told him. "But all I wanted was to keep you safe."

"I know," she said softly. "But you really should have learned by now that if me being safe means you're not, I don't want it."

He glanced down at her, then rolled his eyes and shook his head, turning to lean back against the railing as he crossed his arms. "You know, normal companions are a lot easier to deal with," he said, gesturing wildly with one of his arms. "Just the standard 'yes, Doctor', 'no, Doctor', 'Help, Doctor, I've been captured by the man-eating flat worms of Bostoria'. Simple. Then there's you. You say yes when you should say no, and no when you absolutely should be saying yes if you have to say anything at all. I send you home, you tear apart my ship. You get trapped in another universe, you conspire with said ship to break laws of time and space and come back. I try to hide you in a cupboard so you won't get executed by interplanetary thugs, and you pick a fight with a Slab. What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Stop fighting it?" she suggested sweetly, and he looked down to see her wearing the teasing grin he adored above all others.

"That's…that's just not fair," he said, arching an eyebrow at her. He scrubbed a hand down his face with a groan. "You know, I should still be mad. You scared the hell out of me. But…you saved my life. Again."

"And then you saved everyone," she said. "Again. Because that's what we do."

"Yeah," he said, looking down at her again for a moment before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "That's what we do. When we're not frustrating the hell out of each other."

"Right," she said with a giggle. She leaned up to kiss him, and he met her half-way, burying a hand in her hair as his tongue ran over her bottom lip before deepening the kiss. It was another minute before she pulled away, breathless. "There's that, too," she said.

"Mhm," he agreed, moving his hand to caress her cheek. "And for the record, that was _not _a genetic transfer…"

She swatted him lightly on his chest. "Annoying as that was, it was the least of my worries today."

"I know," he sighed. "I'm sorry I cut you out, Rose. I just…"

"I know," she said, her hands on his chest over his hearts. "You've been a one-man show for a long time…you're used to being the one to save and protect everyone. Just don't forget…stronger than the average human. Even if I can't see the future anymore," she added, pulling a face.

He grinned, moving his hand to her arm. "Yeah, how is it, being in the dark?"

"Annoying," she admitted, wrinkling her nose adorably and making him giggle. "It was a lot easier when I knew we'd survive anything, no matter how hard it might have been. Plus…I can't see things the way you do anymore."

"Oh, I dunno," he said, shrugging. "Not all it's cracked up to be. You did notice the plasma coils, though. That was interesting."

"Hmm…yeah," she said thoughtfully. "Hey, speaking of normal companions, where's Martha? I know the TARDIS landed…a couple of times. Have some trouble finding her?"

"No, I did not," he said, rolling his eyes. "Found her just fine, thanks very much. She's off exploring, since I needed to come finish that conversation with you. I had to land more than once to prove that it was a time machine."

"How did you—_oh_," she said, grinning as she moved a hand to play with his tie. "The tie."

"The tie," he said, grinning back. "Yep. So at least that's one more mystery laid to rest."

"Yeah, how about explaining how we're looking out on London?" Martha asked from the door.

oOoOo

Martha had wandered for a while, opening doors at random…or, at least, the ones that would open. She found a lot that wouldn't, and couldn't help but wonder at what was hidden behind them. She had found an art gallery, a beautiful library, a surprisingly quaint kitchen (a visual marred only by the fact that the toaster seemed to be in pieces on the table…and there seemed to be a _lot_ more pieces than there should be), and a pool. She had a sudden image of the very fit Doctor in a speedo and nearly fell over. Alien or not, the man was brilliant and handsome and had saved her life. Was it any wonder she already had a huge crush on him?

Just the thought of him made her want to see him again, and she couldn't help but wonder what he'd meant when he said she'd find him when he wanted to. Sure enough, though, when she turned another corner, she saw him out on a balcony with Rose. She stopped, her heart sinking a little. His arm was around Rose's waist, and one hand rested on her cheek while both of hers were on his chest. As she watched, he smiled down at her and moved the hand on her cheek down to her arm, his thumb moving lightly as she wrinkled her nose while she said something.

_So much for them not being together, then_, Martha thought glumly as she stepped forward. Then again, they were both aliens. Maybe they just weren't compatible with humans. Or…

_Maybe he just doesn't know what he's missing with humans_, Martha thought, cheering up considerably before being distracted completely as she realized the balcony they were standing on appeared to be looking out on London.

"The tie," the Doctor was saying as she opened the door. "Yep. So that's one more mystery laid to rest."

"Yeah, how about explaining how we're looking out on London," Martha suggested, stepping out onto the balcony.

"Oh, Martha!" the Doctor said, apparently cheerful again as he turned to her, dropping the hand from Rose's arm, but leaving his arm around her waist. "Hello. Have a good wander?"

"Thrilling," she said. "London?"

"It's a simulation," Rose said, turning from the Doctor to lean against the railing. "I was missing home. Well, what used to be home…a lifetime ago. Anyway, the TARDIS made it for me."

"What do you mean the TARDIS made it?" Martha asked, gingerly stepping closer to the railing. She could even feel a breeze, she realized. This was one _hell_ of a simulation.

"It's…complicated," the Doctor said, leaning on the railing next to Rose and looking out over the city. "Basically, the ship can make…spaces…for whatever the occupants might need at any given time. Talk of which, did I tell you I found a pear shooting range?" he added to Rose, who burst out laughing.

"Hold on, this looks like an Estate," Martha said with distaste as she looked around.

"The Powell Estate," Rose said with a nod. "That's where I grew up with my mum."

"But…you're not human," Martha said, looking over at her in confusion.

"Yeah…it's a…long story," Rose said, letting out a chuckle at the end. "I'm human…just a bit…different. Started out normal enough, though. Right here. Well, the Earth version."

Martha couldn't help staring at her. Not only was she not an alien...but she was an Estate girl? The Doctor, the brilliant, amazing, _gorgeous_ Doctor…was with a chav from the Estates? How was that even possible?

"Tell you what, though," Rose was saying now, leaning back from the railing. "Before we go swanning off to where ever the Doctor plans to take us, I need some food. Stomach cramps mean very little in the way of real food, and I'm starving. Meet me in the kitchen in…mmm, twenty minutes? Or whenever you hear the alarm go off, whichever comes first," she added with a smile as she turned and left.

The Doctor laughed, straightening as she left, but stayed on the balcony, burying his hands in his pockets as he looked out on the horizon.

"So she's human?" Martha asked, trying to understand.

"Bit more than that," the Doctor said. "Had a run in with the Time Vortex. She's fine now."

Martha blinked at him and shook her head. That didn't actually explain…anything.

"Right," she said, as if this made total sense. "And how long…has she been travelling with you?"

"Depends who you ask," he said with a lopsided grin.

"I'm asking you," she said pointedly. He glanced down at her briefly before looking out again.

"Um…a bit more than two years," he said, scratching the back of his head. "Hard to tell sometimes, even for me."

"Is that why it depends who I ask?"

"No," he said he said with a sort of soft, secret smile.

"Then…why?" she asked.

"Another long story," he replied, his hands back in his pockets.

"I've got time," she said, turning to lean back against the railing with her elbows.

He eyed her for a moment, brow arched. "Not for that," he said. "Tell you what, I've got some diagnostics to run on the TARDIS before we take off again. Why don't you go keep Rose company, maybe keep her from setting a fire."

"I could help you," she said quickly.

"Nah, that's alright," he said with a grin. "Just basic diagnostic…stuff. But Rose is…frightening in the kitchen," he added, sucking in a breath. "If you want something edible, you want to be in there. Or you can stay here—your choice."

He shrugged and turned, sauntering back inside and granting Martha a nice view of…everything unavailable, apparently. She thought for a minute, then went to find the kitchen. Maybe she could get more information from the…sort of human. She was surprised when the kitchen came up far sooner than she expected.

"I know the kitchen wasn't this close before," she muttered as she stepped in.

"Yeah, you get used to it," Rose said, glancing at her before looking back in the cupboard. "He send you in here to check on me?"

"He said you're frightening in the kitchen," Martha admitted.

"I am…which is amazing, because the TARDIS actually does most of the work," she said, frowning. "That confused him to no end. He says it should actually take effort to be as bad as I am."

"Classy," Martha said. She couldn't help wanting to like the blonde…she had an extremely disarming personality…if a little simple. Maybe that's why he liked her. Someone simple. But someone who could challenge him had to be better. "So how long have you been travelling with the Doctor?" she asked, trying her question again.

"Depends who you ask," Rose said, not looking away from the cabinet.

"Yeah, that's what he said too," Martha said, frowning.

Rose turned and looked at her. "One thing you've got to learn right now, Martha…even the simplest questions have complicated answers where the Doctor is concerned."

"Why's that, then?" she asked.

"Nature of a Time Lord," Rose said dramatically with an eye roll, then turned back to the cabinet. "So, what d'you think, pasta?"


	10. The Shakespeare Code Part 1

_**Yay, Shakespeare! Martha's confusion (and subsequent resentment) grows, and Shakespeare is too perceptive by half. Good times. For those of you who actually like Martha...just bear with me. She really will get better, promise.**_

**oOoOo**

After dinner, Martha was beginning to feel the day as the adrenaline finally wore off, but didn't want to say anything, afraid the Doctor would simply take her home and disappear again. Instead, she just asked for a place to freshen up, splashing cold water on her face and retouching her makeup. This done, she wandered around until she found the Doctor and his...companion dancing around the console, grooving to "Ballroom Blitz" as they each worked on different bits of it. The two seemed to have boundless energy. As she watched, she saw the Doctor look up and dart over to Rose, catching her by surprise as he picked her up by her waist and spun her around while she laughed, linking her hands behind his neck. He stopped spinning, but held her aloft, looking up at her for a moment. Martha coughed, clearing her throat and announcing her presence. The Doctor dropped Rose to her feet and spun around—but kept one hand on the small of the blonde's back as the music cut out abruptly.

"Martha!" he cried happily. "Brilliant! Ready for your trip?"

"Yeah, definitely," she said, stepping forward warily.

"Right! Let's go!"

He jumped for the console again.

"So whatcha think?" Rose asked. "Time or space?"

"Time, I think," the Doctor said, flicking and pressing and spinning his way around the console. "Bit easier to handle for the first trip."

"Oh, look who's all accommodating now," Rose said with a teasing grin.

"Oi!" the Doctor cried. "I was a different man back then!"

"Don't I know it," Rose said, and Martha saw the Doctor shoot her another look. She decided not to even bother asking about that one. She'd tried asking them more questions while they ate, but they seemed to have evasion down to an art form.

"But how do you travel in time?" she asked instead. "What makes it go?"

"Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything," he replied, keeping his eyes on the console. "Martha, you don't wanna know. It just does. Hold on tight!"

The ship lurched, knocking Martha to the floor and the other two away from the console. She groaned and picked herself up gingerly as the Doctor grabbed his coat and shrugged into it.

"Blimey!" she said. "Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?"

"Yes, and I failed it," he said, chucking her jacket at her and moving down the ramp to the door. "Now, make the most of it. I promised you one trip and one trip only. Outside this door…Brave new world."

"Where are we?"

"Take a look," he said with a smirk, opening the door. "Go on, ladies first."

She glanced at Rose, who simply smiled and nodded at the door. She took a deep breath and stepped out, Rose following closely behind. She stopped a few steps from the door, looking around in amazement. They were in...well, London, probably, but old...very old. Dirt streets and wood houses and...old.

"Oh, you are kidding me," she said. "You are so kidding me. Oh, my God! We did it. We travelled in time. Where are we? No, sorry. I gotta get used to this whole new language. When are we?"

Suddenly, Rose grabbed her by the arms and pulled her back just as someone shouted from an upper floor and a bucket was dumped on the spot she'd been standing in.

"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet," Rose noted.

"Yeah, sorry about that," the Doctor said, stepping around them and looking around.

"I've seen worse," Martha quickly assured him. "I've worked the late night shift at A&E."

He grinned back at her before taking Rose's hand and sauntering off with her.

"But are we safe?" Martha asked, fearfully rooted to the spot. "I mean, can we move around and stuff?"

"Of course we can," the Doctor said, turning to stare at her. "Why do you ask?"

"It's like in the films," she explained. "You step on a butterfly, you change the future of the human race."

"Well, tell you what then, don't step on any butterflies," he said, and Rose giggled. Martha shot her a dirty look. "What have butterflies ever done to you?"

"Really, it's not as complicated as the films make it," Rose said as they started walking again, Martha following this time. "Most of the time, history has ways of correcting itself, just compensating around time travelers. Aside from fixed events and paradoxes, so long as you keep out of big events, it's pretty straightforward."

"Oh, we're supposed to keep _out_ of big events?" the Doctor asked, sounding completely surprised. "_That's_ what I've been doing wrong all these years!"

"Oi!" Rose cried, nudging him with her shoulder. "I was just trying to help her."

Martha stared at Rose's back, resentment rising up. She doubted this girl had any real concept of time-travel, regardless of how long she'd spent with the Doctor, but if he thought it was fine, then it probably was. What could he possibly see in her? Oh, she might be brave, alright, and only _mostly_ human, but still...he was a genius alien who could save her life and everyone else's at that hospital, memorized galactic law, knew insane things about apparently every piece of technology he touched…and she was just a chav from the Estates. Probably didn't even finish school.

"So this is London, yeah?" she said finally, shaking off her thoughts. After all, Rose was probably just as surprised at her luck as Martha was.

"I think so," the Doctor said. "Right about 1599."

"Oh, but hold on," she said. "Am I all right? I'm not gonna get carted off as a slave, am I?"

"Why would they do that?" he asked, turning to her again with a confused expression.

"Not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed," she said, gesturing to her face.

"I'm not even human," he said with a shrug. "Just walk about like you own the place. Works for me. Besides, you'd be surprised. Elizabethan England, not so different from your time. Look over there," he said, pointing. "They've got recycling." He nodded at two men conversing around a water barrel. "Water cooler moment."

"...and the world will be consumed by flame!" cried a preacher as they passed.

"Global warming," Rose said with a grin.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor said, then looked around. "And…entertainment! Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark right next to…" He trailed off and jogged away, pulling Rose away with him and forcing Martha to follow behind.

"Oh, yes!" he cried, rounding the corner and releasing Rose's hand to gesture expansively. "The Globe Theatre! Brand new. Just opened. Through, strictly speaking, it's not a globe; it's a tetradecagon—14 sides—containing the man himself."

"Whoa, you don't mean..." Martha started, looking at the happy grin on his face. "Is Shakespeare in there?"

"Oh, yes," he said, and Rose groaned.

"Problem?" Martha asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Several," Rose said, shaking her head and eyeing the Doctor, who giggled. "One, I'm not actually a fan of Shakespeare. Two, the Doctor is a _huge_ fan of Shakespeare."

"What's wrong with that?" Martha asked. "Shakespeare is…well…a legend."

"Oh, I know," Rose said darkly, and the Doctor's grin widened. Martha couldn't help feeling like she was missing something, but she felt good knowing that she had something in common with the Doctor that Rose didn't.

"Miss Jones," he said, holding out his arm. "Will you accompany me to the theater?"

She giggled and linked her arm with his. "Yes, Mr Tyler, I will."

She glanced back at Rose, who rolled her eyes and shook her head before following them.

"When you get home," the Doctor was saying, "you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare."

"Then I could get sectioned!" she said with happy sarcasm, and the other two laughed.

They saw _Love's Labor's Lost_, standing in the yard. Martha was entranced at seeing the play done as it was originally intended, too much so to complain about the conditions. Not that she would have anyway. If Rose could put up with it without even _liking_ Shakespeare, then so could she.

"That's amazing!" she cried as the actors took their bows, clapping heartily. "Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell. And those are men dressed as women, yeah?"

"London never changes," the Doctor quipped.

"Where's Shakespeare?" she asked. "I wanna see Shakespeare. Author! Author!" she started chanting, her fist in the air, and the other two stared at her. "Do people shout that? Do they shout 'Author'?"

A man behind them picked up the chant, and it soon spread through the crowd as they looked around.

"Well…they do now," the Doctor said.

Then _he_ came out, the man himself, Shakespeare, taking an exaggerated bow and blowing kisses to the audience. They went wild, clapping and cheering even louder, though Martha looked at him a bit critically.

"He's a bit different from his portraits," she commented.

"Genius," the Doctor said, leaning closer so Martha could hear him above the din. "He's a genius – _the_ genius. The most human Human that's ever been. Now we're gonna hear him speak. Always, he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words."

"Shut your big fat mouths!" Shakespeare shouted at them.

Rose took one look at the Doctor's face and burst into laughter.

"Maybe he's not so bad after all," she said with a cheeky grin as the Doctor eyed her, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh, well," he said in a disappointed voice.

"You should never meet your heroes," Martha said sympathetically.

"You have excellent taste, I'll give you that," Shakespeare said to the crowd, then pointed at one man. "Oh, that's a wig!" he said, making the crowd laugh again. "I know what you're all saying. _Love's Labor's Lost_, that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops! Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius." He bowed graciously, but then jerked upright oddly. Martha saw both the Doctor and Rose stiffen out of the corner of her eye.

"When?" the playwright asked. "Tomorrow night. The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it _Loves Labor's Won_!"

"Doctor," Rose said quietly. "That's not right."

"I know," he replied, watching Shakespeare closely. "I felt it too. Where's it coming from, though?"

"What are you talking about?" Martha asked as the Doctor turned, craning his neck to look at the balcony. "I didn't feel anything."

"No, you wouldn't have," he said absently. "Humans don't. Too subtle."

"She's human," Martha pointed out, nodding at Rose.

"Only mostly," he said distractedly, then turned, taking Rose's hand and weaving out through the crowds. "C'mon."

"I thought _Love's Labor's Won_ was some kind of huge mystery," Rose said as they made it outside.

"Exactly," the Doctor said. "The lost play. It doesn't exist — only in rumors. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. No one knows why."

"Have you got a mini-disk or something?" Martha asked. "We could tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a mint."

The Doctor looked at her for a moment. "No."

"That would be bad?"

"Yeah," he said, arching an eyebrow. "Yeah."

"Well, how come it disappeared in the first place?" she asked.

"Trouble?" Rose asked, sounding almost pleased. The Doctor smirked and rolled his eyes, then looked at Martha critically, as if sizing her up.

"Well...I was just gonna give you a quick little trip in the TARDIS," he said slowly. "But...I suppose we could stay a _bit_ longer."

They made their way to an inn, the Doctor explaining that this was where Shakespeare stayed while he was in town. He had a house and wife in the country, but he would spend weeks at a time in town working on plays...among other things.

They made their way inside and up to the room Shakespeare was in with two of the actors.

"Hello!" the Doctor called as he knocked on the open door. "Excuse me! I'm not interrupting, am I? Mr Shakespeare, isn't it?"

"Oh no, no, no, no," Shakespeare said, hiding his face in his hand. "Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove—" he stopped as Rose and Martha stepped around the Doctor and into the room. "Hey, nonny nonny. Sit right down here next to me. You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go," he finished, waving off the actors.

"Come on, lads," said the serving woman. "I think our William's found himself a couple of new muses."

"Sweet ladies," he said as Rose and Martha sat down, giving them both looks of open appreciation. "Such unusual clothes. So…fitted."

"Um, verily," Martha said as the Doctor frowned, hovering behind Rose. "Forsooth, egads."

"No…no," the Doctor said softly while Rose seemed to choke. "Don't do that. Don't." He turned back to Shakespeare, putting a hand on Rose's shoulder as he reached past her to show the playwright something written on a piece of paper in a leather wallet. "I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS, my wife, Dame Rose, and our companion, Miss Martha Jones."

"Interesting, that bit of paper," Shakespeare said. "It's blank."

"Oh, that's...very clever," the Doctor said, an impressed smile coming across his face. "That proves it. Absolute genius."

"No, it says so right there," Martha said, peering at the paper. "Sir Doctor, Dame Rose, Martha Jones. It says so."

"And I say it's blank," Shakespeare insisted.

"Psychic paper," the Doctor said, putting it away. "Um, long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch."

"Basically, it says whatever you want it to say," Rose said. "Only geniuses and people with psychic training will see blank paper."

"Psychic," Shakespeare repeated. "Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who are your lovely companions, the flaxen haired beauty and this delicious blackamoor lady?"

"What did you say?" Martha asked, stunned.

"Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays?" he asked. "An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric..."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Martha said while Rose snorted with laughter.

"It's political correctness gone mad," the Doctor said, rubbing at his eye. "Um, they're from a far-off land. Freedonia."

Shakespeare cast another look of appraisal at Rose, but then exchanged a look with the Doctor as the latter tightened his hand on Rose's shoulder with a frown and an arched brow. The playwright turned back to Martha with renewed interest, but was interrupted before he could say anything else.

"Excuse me! Hold hard a moment," said a voice from the door, and they turned. "This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mr Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed. "

"Tomorrow morning," Shakespeare said. "First thing, I'll send it 'round."

"I don't work to your schedule," the man said. "You work to mine. The script, now!"

"I can't," Shakespeare said in a hard voice.

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled," the man said.

"It's all go, 'round here, isn't it?" Martha said quietly.

"I'm returning to my office for a banning order," the man continued. "If it's the last thing I do, 'Love's Labours Won' will never be played."

He turned on his heel and walked back out, and they turned back to Shakespeare, who was smirking.

"Lynley," Shakespeare sneered. "He has a far greater love of power than art."

"Well, then...mystery solved," Martha said. The Doctor and Rose might have a flair for the dramatics, but sometimes a cigar was just a cigar. Still, she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed after what had already happened that day. "That's _Love's Labor's Won_ over and done with. Thought it might be something more, you know...more mysterious."

Rose stiffened again in her chair. "Wouldn't be too sure of that," she said, just before they heard a scream from outside. She and the Doctor immediately sprinted for the door, Martha and Shakespeare following close behind. Outside, they saw Lynley staggering through the street amongst onlookers, water gushing from his mouth.

"Lynley," Rose said stepping forward.

"What's wrong with him?" the Doctor asked, more to himself than anything. "Leave it to me— I'm a doctor."

"So am I–near enough," Martha said, following the Doctor to the man's side. Rose raced down the street, peering into the shadows for something.

They watched, helpless, as Lynley continued to spit up water before gasping and falling to the ground. The Doctor ran to Rose.

"Anything?" he asked quietly.

"No," she said. "I don't get it. I felt…something…but I can't tell where it's coming from. Almost like two places at once."

"This is bad," he said. "C'mon."

He took her arm and pulled her back over to where Lynley lay on the ground, Martha hovering over him. The Doctor knelt by him again as more water spewed from the dead man's mouth.

"What the hell is that?" Martha asked.

"I've never seen a death like it," the Doctor said. "His lungs are full of water — he drowned and then... I dunno, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow." He stared for another moment before getting to his feet and turning to Dolly. "Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away."

"Yes, sir," the innkeeper said, and the Doctor crouched back down over Lynley.

"This isn't natural," Rose said.

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages," the Doctor muttered. "If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft."

"Okay, what was it then?" Martha asked.

He exchanged a dark look with Rose. "Witchcraft."

oOoOo

"I've got you a room, Sir Doctor," Dolly said as they returned to Shakespeare's room to regroup. "I'm sorry, but I've only got the one...your companion will have to share with you and your wife. It's just down the hall."

The Doctor simply nodded, looking thoughtful, his hand on Rose's neck stroking her skin lightly.

"Poor Lynley," Shakespeare said. "So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia where a woman can be a doctor?"

"Where a woman can do what she likes," Martha said, arching a brow.

"And you, Sir Doctor," he said. "How can a man so young have eyes so old?"

"I do a lot of reading," the Doctor said evenly, and Martha turned to him. She had no idea how old he was. He didn't look more than thirty-five, but there were some moments...she shook herself.

"A trite reply," Shakespeare said. "Yeah, that's what I'd do. And your lovely wife…there is more to her than meets the eye as well. The light to your dark, but she seems as if she could at any moment throw her head back and howl at the moon."

"Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" Rose asked with a smile, and the Doctor smirked and kissed her hair lightly as Martha stared.

"And you," Shakespeare said, turning back to Martha. "You look at them like you're surprised they exist. They are as much of a puzzle to you as they are to me."

"I think we should say good night," Martha said hurriedly. She left the other two to say their good nights and walked quickly to their assigned room. At least now she'd have an excuse to get some sleep. She didn't know what to make of this whole...everything. Witchcraft and Shakespeare, and a man who could kiss her and come back for her, even having the whole universe at his fingertips, but apparently was only interested in a blonde human that wasn't human from nowhere. She could only hope that _something_ would make more sense after some sleep.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the other two enter the room behind her.

"It's not exactly five-star, is it?" she commented.

"Trust me, we've seen worse," Rose said, looking around. "Although, those prison cells on Gravalion…oh…"

"Made me want to get arrested again just for a decent night's sleep," the Doctor agreed, looking out the window.

Martha glanced between them, then shook her head. "I haven't even got a toothbrush," she said.

"Oh," the Doctor said, turning to her and patting his pockets before pulling out a toothbrush. "Contains Venusian spearmint."

"So, who's going where?" Martha asked as she took the toothbrush gingerly. "I mean, there's only one bed."

"You can have it," the Doctor said lightly. "We…don't sleep much. We'll be fine."

"So, magic and stuff," Martha said awkwardly as she sat on the bed. "That's a surprise. It's a little bit 'Harry Potter'."

"Wait till you read Book Seven," the Doctor said, sitting down on a bench near the window. "Rose cried."

"Oi, so did you!" Rose shot back, poking him in the ribs as she sat next to him. "He was even worse than me!"

"But is it real, though?" Martha asked. "I mean, witches, black magic and all that, it's real?"

"'Course it isn't," the Doctor scoffed.

"Well, how am I supposed to know?" Martha demanded. "I've only just started believing in time travel. Give me a break."

"Ignore him," Rose said. "He thrives as being rude and generally insulting. So, it looks like witchcraft, but isn't?"

"Can't be," he said. "There's such a thing as psychic energy but a human couldn't channel it like that. Not without a generator the size of Taunton and I think we'd have spotted that. No. There's something I'm missing."

_How about the fact that you're apparently mad about a girl with no hope of deserving you_? Martha thought, but immediately felt bad. Rose was making it really difficult to actively dislike her. She'd been nothing but nice. What was it Shakespeare said? The light to his darkness? How? The man was one of the most cheerful people she'd ever met.

"Okay, so there must be something else here," Rose said. "You said a human couldn't channel it, but who says it's human? Is there a species you know of who have attributes like witches?"

"Mmm...maybe," he said, rubbing his eye. "Most of them are gone though. The ones that didn't disappear back in the Dark Times were...well...they're gone now. Still, something to think about," he said as Martha looked at him curiously. "Martha, get some sleep. I'll take you back home tomorrow."

"Great," she said, miffed as she leaned over to blow out the candle.


	11. The Shakespeare Code Part 2

_**So, this is a few hours early, because my world spun out into the sort of familial chaos last night that somehow led to the fact that I have YET to go to sleep, which is bad even for me. That said, my choices were either post early or run the risk of falling asleep and forgetting to post at all. So, because I love you, here's this. It's...partially without beta, so forgive me if life weirdness and fatigue have made it odd. Then again, the whole last story was more or less without beta, so I'm not going to worry overly much (that is not a slight to my awesome beta babe, who deserves many kudos for keeping up with my rigorous posting schedule, as well as many rants while writing...this is all just very sleepy self-justification). Eh, whatever. If something seems off, lemme know.**_

_**Oh, on a totally separate note, holy cats, I'm only twenty reviews away from my goal of 200 by Chapter 15. You guys are rock stars. Thanks ever so much! With that, moving on!**_

_**oOoOo**_

The Doctor leaned back, one foot resting on the bench and the other on the floor while Rose rested against his chest. Martha was asleep, had been almost as soon as she blew out the candle. Rose dozed off and on. Since she'd told him her secrets, she'd given up pretending to need a full eight hours of sleep every night. She still needed more than him, but was usually rested after only a couple of hours a night, and could go as long as two or three days before exhaustion really took hold, though that would take more recovery time. Often, now, when they were on adventures that lasted more than a day, she would simply snooze when she got the chance to keep herself in good condition rather than attempt any kind of deep sleep. He had to admit that it was nice that he didn't feel like he was wasting half her life waiting for her to wake up anymore.

Now, he was staring out the window thoughtfully. Witches...but not witches. Maybe not humans. Some sort of psychic energy, something Rose had felt too, which was…unexpected. Wasn't the first time…but that wasn't priority right now. Any species that could do that was gone, or at least should be. What would it be doing here, now?

"Figure it out yet?" Rose asked softly, so as not to wake Martha.

"Not yet," he replied. "It just doesn't make any sense."

"You'll make sense of it," she assured him confidently. "You always do."

He pressed a kiss to her head and nuzzled her hair gently. She always had such faith in him. From the first moment.

"Rose?" he asked. "What happened in Downing Street? The first time, I mean?"

As a rule, he didn't ask about specifics of her first time round with him, other than things they'd talked about that first week or so after he'd learned about her rewriting scheme. But this one he'd been curious about. She'd had so much faith in him. Had she really always? Or was it just because she knew they'd survive?

"Same thing, more or less," she said with a shrug. "I didn't yell at Mum...wanted to, but I didn't know what to say. But I still told you to do it, because what you were doing was important for the whole planet. And I still saved us by clearing out a cupboard," she added, grinning up at him.

"Of course you did," he murmured with a smile, the hand on her waist running lightly over her bottom ribs. Always, then…even when she really _was_ just the young shop girl he'd thought her to be. It didn't surprise him—he didn't think she'd ever been ordinary, regardless of her space-time antics—but he liked knowing that small piece, that one moment that had so endeared her to him, was the same every time he'd witnessed it.

"You did it again, you know," she said after a moment.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Introduced me as your wife."

"Well...you saw how Will was with Martha," he said, arching an eyebrow and scratching the back of his head with his free hand as he looked out the window again. "I couldn't very well have him thinking you were available too."

Rose studied him as he gazed out the window. It was strange, the dichotomy with which he approached their relationship. He was thrilled that she was going to last forever, while at the same time seemed terrified at the prospect of marriage, even though he used it as a convenience more than once now. It wasn't that she was itching for it, but she couldn't help noting with amusement how domestics and the Doctor would never get along.

Her gaze wandered to the sleeping Martha. She doubted the Doctor was aware of the fact that Martha was already completely infatuated with him…she also doubted that Martha's dislike of Rose was as obvious to him as it was to her. Martha hadn't actually been rude, but Rose hadn't missed the looks or the chilly responses she'd gotten from the medical student. She didn't hold the crush against Martha—the Doctor hadn't exactly made it easy on her, and he always made it almost effortless to fall for him, whether he knew it or not—but she couldn't help wondering what would have happened between them, in this tiny room in the 16th century, had he lost her months before…

"Must be tied to Shakespeare," she whispered, pulling her thoughts back to the present, and the Doctor looked back down at her. "First it was him at the Globe, then someone who tried to stop his play. But why?"

He frowned, but before he could say anything else, a scream ripped through the night, and they both surged to their feet and bolted for the door before Martha was even fully awake. They careened into Shakespeare's room to see Dolly lying on the floor. The Doctor knelt over her as Rose rushed to the window, just as Martha came into the room. Her eyes narrowed when the saw the silhouette of a cackling witch take off on a broomstick.

"Her heart gave out," the Doctor said behind her. "She died of fright."

"Doctor?" Rose called.

"What did you see?" he asked, hurrying over to her.

"A witch," she said, turning to look up at him.

oOoOo

At dawn, the body had been removed, and the Doctor and Martha sat at Shakespeare's desk with him while Rose paced behind them thoughtfully.

"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey," Shakespeare said. "She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit."

"'Rage, rage against the dying of the light'," the Doctor quoted.

"I might use that," Shakespeare said.

"You can't," the Doctor said. "It's someone else's."

"But the thing is," Martha said, frowning. "Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright and they were both connected to you."

"You're accusing me?" Shakespeare asked in disbelief.

"No one's accusing anyone," Rose said. "Not yet, anyhow. But she's right. Somehow, it's got to do with you and your play, Shakespeare." She looked down at the Doctor as he looked up at her, both thinking hard. "Looks like a witch, sounds like a witch, _flies _like a witch..."

"...But isn't a witch," the Doctor said, frowning. "What is it? What's here? And why're they so interested in him?"

"Something to do with the play," she said. "But why? What's so important about a lost play?"

"Peter Streete spoke of witches," Shakespeare chimed in, and they both turned to stare at him.

"Who's Peter Streete?" Martha asked.

"Our builder," he said. "He sketched the plans to the Globe."

"The architect," the Doctor said, then sat up straighter. "Hold on. The architect! The architect!" He slammed his fist on the table as inspiration hit him. "The Globe! Come on!"

He touched Rose's arm as he stood and they both rushed off, leaving the other two to trail behind. Once in the theater, the Doctor wandered around the yard while the other three wound their way onto the stage, Rose sitting down at the edge as she watched him.

"The columns there, right? 14 sides," the Doctor said, looking around slowly. "I've always wondered but I never asked... tell me, Will, why 14 sides?"

"It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all," Shakespeare said with a shrug. "Said it carried the sound well."

"Why does that ring a bell? 14…" the Doctor trailed off thoughtfully.

"There are 14 lines in a sonnet," Martha suggested.

"So there is," he said as he started pacing. "Good point. Words and shapes following the same design. 14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets…Oh, my head. Tetradecagon... think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!"

"This is just a theater," Shakespeare said.

"But it's not," Rose said, looking around, and the Doctor stopped and looked at her. "The things you write, Will, the things that take place here...whole worlds are created. That's magic all by itself."

"Stand on this stage," the Doctor said, coming closer to stand right in front of Rose, putting his hands on the stage on either side of her and looking up at Shakespeare. "Say the right words with the right emphasis at the right time... Oh, you can make men weep, or cry with joy, change them. You can change people's minds just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that..." he trailed off and pushed off the stage to pace again, his hands buried in his pockets.

"It's like your police box," Martha said. "Small wooden box with all that _power_ inside."

"Oh. Oh, Martha Jones, I like you," he said, grinning up at her. "Tell you what, though. Peter Streete would know. Can we talk to him?"

"You won't get an answer," Shakespeare said. "A month after finishing this place... lost his mind."

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"Started raving about witches, hearing voices, babbling," Shakespeare said, shrugging. "His mind was addled."

"Where is he now?" the Doctor asked.

"Bedlam," Shakespeare replied, a tad ominously, and Rose exchanged a glance with the Doctor.

"What's Bedlam?" Martha asked.

"Bethlem Hospital," the playwright told her. "The madhouse."

"We're gonna go there. Right now," the Doctor said, grabbing Rose round the waist and lifting her down from the stage. "Come on."

He strode out, slipping between the actors coming in smoothly, pulling Rose behind him, hardly pausing before making sure the other two had followed.

"Bit too coincidental that he gets locked away because he's seeing witches just after finishing this place," Rose said as they hurried through the streets.

"Without a doubt," the Doctor said. "They can drown a man who's nowhere near water and scare a woman who's survived everything else to death...they can certainly snap a man's senses like a twig. But _why_?" he asked, sounding more frustrated. "Why...why _all_ of it? What's the point? And why fourteen?"

"It's important to whatever they are," Rose said. "They're not human, we know that. So what species is the number fourteen significant to? One that can also look like and act like witches?"

"Not anything that should still exist," he said, frowning. "Fourteen…it could be…no, but they've been gone for…oh, as near to forever as you can get. Wasn't even sure they existed at all." He paused, brow furrowed, then looked down at her and smiled suddenly. "Tell you what though...you are really brilliant. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were still dropping hints of things you already knew."

"Well, gotta give you a reason to keep me around," she said with a smile.

"Oh, I've got _lots_ of reasons to keep you around," he said with a rakish grin that made her blush before looking around. "Hold on, where'd they go?"

He made an irritated noise when he saw them stopped and talking several feet behind them.

"But Martha," Shakespeare was whining as they got closer. "This is Town."

"Come on," the Doctor said. "We can all have a good flirt later."

"Is that a promise, Doctor?" Shakespeare asked, eyeing him up and down.

"Oh…fifty-seven academics just punched the air," he said. "Now move!"

He spun again and hurried off, casting dark looks at Rose as she giggled.

He slowed and pulled Rose closer as they neared the hospital, pinning her to his side and keeping her far from the cells as he looked around angrily. His dislike of hospitals aside, this was no place of healing. He gave Peter's name to the guard with difficulty as he tried to unclench his jaw. He could feel the fear and the pain and madness coming off these people in waves, feelings made worse by an unfeeling society and sadistic treatment.

"Does my lord Doctor wish some entertainment while he waits?" the guard asked. "I'd whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for ya. Bandog and Bedlam!"

"No, I don't!" he snapped.

"Wait here, my lords," the guard said, stepping back hurriedly, "while I make him decent for the ladies."

"Some hospital," Rose said, looking around with a mix of anger and sadness. "Put in a cell? Left to rot and be whipped for entertainment? Hell of a healing process."

"And you put your friend in here?" Martha asked disdainfully.

"Oh, and it's all so different in Freedonia," Shakespeare scoffed.

"But you're clever!" Martha argued. "Do you honestly think this place is any good?"

"I've been mad," Shakespeare said in a hollow voice. "I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose."

"Mad in what way?" Martha asked.

"You lost your son," the Doctor said softly, his grip on Rose tightening as his body tensed. Not an easy subject for him, the loss of family, even on the periphery like this. Rose moved so she could wrap an arm around his waist, and he relaxed slightly.

"My only boy," Shakespeare said. "The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there."

"I didn't know," Martha said. "I'm sorry."

"It made me question everything," he said. "The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be... oh, that's quite good."

"You should write that down," the Doctor said, his lips twitching.

"Hm, maybe not," Shakespeare said thoughtfully. "A bit pretentious?"

"Eh," the Doctor said, shrugging as the guard called for them down the corridor. They followed him to Peter Streete's cell in silence, and he unlocked the door, leading them in.

"They can be dangerous, m'lord," the guard cautioned. "Don't know their own strength."

"I think it helps if you don't whip them," the Doctor said angrily. "Now get out!"

The guard left and the Doctor approached Peter slowly.

"Peter?" he said softly as he knelt before him. "Peter Streete?"

"He's the same as he was," Shakespeare said, and the Doctor glanced up at him. "You'll get nothing out of him."

"Peter?" the Doctor called again, putting his hand on the man's shoulder. At that, his head snapped up, and the Doctor stared at the wide glassy eyes. He knew instantly that he wasn't going to get anything out of him in this state. He raised his hands, placing his fingers gently on the man's temples and closing his eyes as he entered the broken and tortured mind.

"Peter, I'm the Doctor," he said softly, opening his eyes again. "Go into the past, one year ago. Let your mind go back, back to when everything was fine and shining. Everything that happened in this year since happened to somebody else. It was just a story. A winter's tale. Let go. Listen. That's it, just let go," he said as Peter fell, laying him gently down on his cot. "Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches."

"Witches spoke to Peter," the architect said. "In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. THEIR design! The 14 walls — always 14. When the work was done—" he let out a nervous giggle "—they snapped poor Peter's wits."

"Where did Peter see the witches?" the Doctor asked. "Where in the city? Peter, tell me. You've got to tell me where were they?"

"All Hallows Street," Peter whispered.

"Too many words," screeched the woman that appeared suddenly next to the Doctor, making him jump up and join the others. She looked like a haggard old woman, her face wrinkled and her grey hair stringy around her face, her skin greenish and body garbed in a loose black shroud.

"What the hell?" Martha said, staring at the newcomer.

"Just one touch of the heart," the witch said, laying a hand on Peter's chest.

"NO!" the Doctor shouted, stepping forward, but it was too late. A scream turned into a sigh, and poor Peter was gone.

"Witch!" Shakespeare cried. "I'm seeing a witch!"

"Who would be next, hmm?" the witch said. "Just one touch. Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals."

"Let us out!" Martha yelled, banging on the door. "Let us out!"

"Martha, everyone's shouting that," Rose said. "No one's going to come."

"Who will die first, hmm?" the witch asked gleefully.

"You're not getting volunteers here," the Doctor said. "I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else."

"No mortal has power over me," the witch said.

"Oh, but there's a power in words," he said, circling around. "If I can find the right one — if I can just know you..."

"None on Earth has knowledge of us," the witch snapped.

"Then it's a good thing I'm here," he said, eyeing her. "Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy…and, of course—" He paused, arching an eye brow at Rose.

"Fourteen," she said quickly, her lips twitching.

"Fourteen," he repeated. "The fourteen stars of the Rexel planetary configuration. Creature, I name you Carrionite!"

With those words, the witch wailed and disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" Rose asked, stunned.

"I named her," he said. "The power of a name. That's old magic," he added, throwing a grin at her.

"But there's no such thing as magic," Martha said.

"Well, it's just a different sort of science," the Doctor said. "You lot, you chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom. Carrionites use words instead."

"Use them for what?" Shakespeare asked.

The Doctor looked at Rose. "Oh...the usual."

"What's 'the usual'?" Martha asked.

"The end of the world," Rose said.

oOoOo

"The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe," the Doctor said once they'd made their way back to the inn. "Nobody was sure if they were real or legend."

"Well, I'm going for real," Shakespeare said.

"But what do they want?" Martha asked.

"A new empire on Earth," the Doctor said. "A world of bones and blood and witchcraft."

"But how?" she asked.

"Will, what were you doing in here last night?" Rose asked suddenly, and the Doctor glanced at her curiously.

"Finishing the play," Shakespeare said with a shrug.

"How's it end?" she asked, thinking hard. Words. Words with power. Words with power in a place of magic...she looked at the Doctor and saw him staring at her with the same look of furiously turning wheels.

"The boys get the girls," Shakespeare said. "They have a bit of a dance. It's all as funny and thought provoking as usual — except those last few lines. Funny thing is... I don't actually remember writing them."

"That's it," the Doctor said softly, turning to look at the playwright. "They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. _Love's Labor's Won_—it's a weapon! The right combination of words, spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play's the thing! And yes, you can have that."

He rummaged around until he found a map, laying it out and twisting it around until he found what he was looking for.

"All Hallows Street, there it is," he said, looking up at Rose. "Right, I'll take the house with Martha."

"Which leaves me with Will and the theater," she said, nodding. "Gotcha."

"Whatever you do, stop that play," he said, turning to Shakespeare as he said this.

"I'll do it," Shakespeare said, shaking the Doctor's hand. "All these years I've been the cleverest man around. Next to you, I know nothing."

"Oh, don't complain," Martha said.

"I'm not," he said. "It's marvelous. Good luck, Doctor."

"Good luck, Shakespeare," he said, releasing his hand and moving around the table to Rose. "And _you_," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and tilting her chin up with his fingers under her jaw. "Be careful. Let's skip the jeopardy-friendly bit this time, yeah?"

"But then why would I need a Doctor?" she asked with that tongue in teeth grin that made him crazy. He growled before leaning down to kiss her fiercely. "Good luck," she said softly as he cupped her cheek.

"And you," he said, then pulled away. "Right, Martha Jones, come with me. Once more into the breach!" he shouted as he headed for the door with Martha.

"I like that," Shakespeare said. "Wait a minute... that's one of mine."

"Oh, just shift!" Rose said, pushing him towards the door.

"The Doctor is not the mystery to you that he is to everyone else," Shakespeare said as they hurried through the streets. "All the world may be a stage, but I think, with you, he doesn't act."

Rose cut a look at him, unsure how to respond. That was...true enough. And part of the reason she'd agreed to only give Martha one trip. She liked the more relaxed Doctor that she had when it was just the two of them.

"I just know him better than most," she said finally. "We've spent a lot of time together."

"He hides an enormous amount of pain and darkness," Shakespeare commented. "He dances to distract himself as well as others. You give him balance that he would lack otherwise. It is well that you are married."

"Yeah, we're not actually married," Rose said.

"Perhaps not in any sanctified way," Shakespeare said, "but trust me on this—you two are more married than I."

Rose glanced at him again. It was a little eerie, the observations this man could make so flippantly. "Yeah, well...let's just go stop the play, yeah?" she mumbled finally, and he laughed but hurried on with her.

They rushed into the theater, and Rose followed him round the back and onto the stage.

"Stop the play!" Shakespeare shouted, bursting on from backstage, Rose following closely. "I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but stop. This performance must end immediately!

"Everyone's a critic," muttered one of the actors.

"I'm sorry," Shakespeare continued as the crowd booed. "You'll get a refund. But this play must not be performed!"

Rose felt another knock of the Carrionite psychic energy, and shouted wordlessly just as Shakespeare fell unconscious to the stage.

"Is he drunk or what?" one of the actors asked as Rose knelt next to him.

"No, he was trying to warn you," Rose said quickly. "This play is wrong."

"I dunno who you think you are," said the actor that had spoken before. "But one night with the author doesn't give you grounds for direction. Someone, get them both out of here."

She felt hands around both of her arms and kicked as she was pulled forcibly from the stage, then thrown out the side door of the theater. She turned quickly, but the door was already closed and bolted. She banged on it and shouted, but to no avail. She ran to find another door, but felt another wave of the psychic energy slam into her, and everything went black.


	12. The Shakespeare Code Part 3

_**Holy cow, two hundred reviews and four chapters early. You guys are awesome. Loving the crazy amount of support for this story.**_

_**Just a note, the Shakespeare quotes in this chapter are from Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1) and Much Ado About Nothing (Act 1, Scene 1 and Act 5, Scene 4). Side note, if you haven't seen David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Much Ado About Nothing, you are SORELY missing out. Fantastic adaption.**_

**oOoOo**

Martha had been thrilled initially when the Doctor chosen to take her with him over Rose…until he made it painfully clear this was only because he trusted Rose on her own. And the kiss…and the way he'd looked at her...but _why_?

"So, you and Rose," she said as they hurried to All Hallow's Street. "You're like…together, then? Properly together?"

"Not really the time for personal questions, Martha," the Doctor said, pushing past a group of people before scanning their surroundings and turning another corner.

"It's just a yes or no," she said, arching an eyebrow. "It's not even a hard question."

"All Hallows Street," the Doctor said, walking out of an alley and turning around to scan the area, ignoring her completely. "But which house?"

Martha gaped at him for a moment, then shut her mouth and tried to turn her mind back to the situation at hand. She'd heard of closed books before, but this one was practically a vault.

"The thing is, though..." she said slowly, looking around. "Am I missing something here? The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me—I'm living proof."

"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux?" he said, running his hand through his hair. "Rose is better at dumbing it down…OH! I know! 'Back to the Future'! It's like 'Back to the Future'!"

"The film?" Martha said, her brain still locked around the idea of someone like Rose dumbing down anything for _her_.

"No, the novelization," he snapped impatiently. "Yes, the film. Marty McFly goes back and changes history."

"And he starts fading away," she said. "Oh my God, am I gonna fade?"

"You and the entire future of the human race," he said. "It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it. But which house?"

They turned as a door on the corner nearest them creaked open.

"Ah," he said. "Make that _witch_ house."

The Doctor looked around warily as they walked inside. He could feel the residue left behind by so much psychic energy being harnessed in one place. They'd been holed up here for a while. He could see vague shadows of dirty deeds already committed, people lost long before he'd even gotten here, and shivered. He stepped through a curtain to see a figure already waiting. She didn't look like the others…but it was just a mask. One he'd seen before…Lilith, the maid. He wondered briefly why he hadn't seen through it before. Probably because he didn't believe they actually still existed before. When was he going to get over that arrogance?

"I take it we're expected," he said quietly.

"Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you a very long time," she said, but he simply arched an eyebrow.

"Right then, it's my turn," Martha said, stepping forward. "I know how to do this. I name thee, Carrionite!" she cried, pointing her finger.

Lilith gasped, but then let out a cackle, and the Doctor tensed, watching her warily.

"What did I do wrong?" Martha asked, disappointed. "Was it the finger?"

"The power of a name works only once," Lilith said. "Observe. I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones," she intoned, pointing at Martha, who immediately collapsed, the Doctor barely catching her in time to lower her to the ground.

"What have you done?" he shouted furiously, kneeling next to the stricken girl.

"Only sleeping, alas," she said. "Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. And as for you, Sir Doctor—" she pointed, then stopped as he looked up at her coldly. "Fascinating. There is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair? Oh, but look. There's still one word with the power that aches."

"The naming won't work on me," he said quietly, sure she was going to try to name his home planet or something similar.

"Oh, a heart so filled with guilt and woes," she said. "Who can save thee, but a stunning…Rose?"

He felt the blast of energy and surged to his feet, towering over her. "Oh, big mistake. If there's one thing someone can do to ensure their rapid destruction, it's hurt her. The Carrionites vanished! Where did you go?"

"The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness," she said, moving away from him, trying to appear casual, but he could taste the tiniest spark of fear in the air between them. Good. Fear would be healthy right now.

"And how did you escape?" he asked, keeping his voice even as he watched her.

"New words," she said. "New and glittering from a mind like no other."

"Shakespeare," he breathed.

"His son perished," Lilith said. "The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance."

"How many of you?" he asked.

"Just the three," she said. Three. He could handle three. But…there was only one here. That…could be bad. "But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will lead the universe back to the old ways of blood and magic."

"Hmm…busy schedule…" he commented, advancing on her. "But first you've gotta get past me."

"Oh, that should be a pleasure, considering my enemy has such a handsome shape," she said, running her hands through his hair and down his face.

"Now, that's one form of magic that's _definitely_ not gonna work on me," he said. He reached up and grabbed her wrists just as he heard a snip near his ear. He turned his head to see a lock of hair held in pincers. "Looking for a souvenir?"

He released one of her hands to reach for it, but she twisted and pulled away. He lunged forward to grab at her, but the window behind her burst open as she raised her arms and flew backwards.

"Well, that's just cheating," he said mildly from the window sill.

"Behold, Doctor," she said. "Men to Carrionites are nothing but puppets."

She pulled out a doll from somewhere in her shroud and wrapped the hair around it.

"Now, you might call that magic," he said slowly. "I'd call that a DNA replication module."

"What use is your science now?" she asked, then stabbed the doll.

The Doctor cried out at the sudden sharp pain in his chest, falling to the floor as black spots danced in his vision. He vaguely heard Lilith cackle, a sound that faded as she, presumably flew away. He stayed still, closing his eyes and trying to take deep breaths.

"Oh my God! Doctor!" Martha said as she scrambled to his side. "Don't worry, I've got you." He sucked in another breath as she attempted to roll him onto his back.

"Two hearts," he wheezed, attempting to stand, but only making it to his knees before nearly falling over again. "I've only got one heart working. How do you people cope? I've got to get the other one started. Hit me! Hit me in the chest!" He cried out as she followed his instructions…sort of. "Other side," he said through gritted teeth, then leaned over once she managed it. "On the back…gah…little to the left! Ah, lovely!" he cried as the pain vanished and blood flow returned to his extremities, standing happily. "There we go! Bada boom! Well, what are you standing there for? C'mon."

He hurried out of the house, pulling his phone out as he walked.

"What're you gonna do with that?" Martha asked, jogging by his side.

"Gonna call Rose, make sure she's okay," he said, flipping it open. "They named her too."

"But…it's 1599," Martha said, and he glanced at her with an arched brow. "Not exactly a whole lot of cell phone towers built yet."

"I travel in time and space in a wooden box that's bigger on the inside and you still think I need cell phone towers?" he asked, putting the phone up to his ear as it started ringing.

"H'lo?" came Rose's voice, a bit rough, but definitely alive and conscious.

"Rose!" he shouted, relieved. "You alright? Did the play get stopped?"

"Yeah…I'm…oh, boll—"

The call cut off as she, presumably, hung up on him. He stared at the phone for a moment before shoving it into his pocket and taking off at a dead run. Martha kept up best as she could through the streets until they got closer to the Globe. The Doctor stopped when he heard the screaming and saw the red glow pouring from the top.

"I told thee so!" said the preacher from earlier. "I told thee!"

"Stage door!" the Doctor shouted, taking off again. They reached the door just as Rose managed to bash it open with a piece of metal she'd procured from god only knew where. "What the hell happened?" he shouted as he got closer. "Stop the play! Think that was it."

"Yeah, well, your little witchy friends had other ideas," Rose shouted back as they hurried inside. "Knocked out the bard here," she said, nodding as they got closer to Shakespeare, "and then I got thrown out. Then I…dunno. That energy, and then I was out. Next thing I knew, the phone was ringing and you were shouting at me."

"They named you," the Doctor said. "Not their wisest move." He turned as they heard screams from the stage. "I think that's my cue!" he said, grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her out onto the stage, followed by Martha, who towed Shakespeare along.

They ran out onto the stage, and looked up at the red energy cloud above them, filled with flying and cackling Carrionites.

"What do we do now?" Rose shouted.

The Doctor glanced at her, then turned to Shakespeare, grabbing him by the arm. "Come on, Will! History needs you!"

"But what can I do?" Shakespeare asked.

"Reverse it!" the Doctor shouted.

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"The shape of the Globe gives words power," the Doctor said. "But you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it!"

"But what words?" he practically wailed. "I have none ready!"

"You're William Shakespeare!" the Doctor said.

"But these Carrionite phrases, the need such precision!" Shakespeare shouted.

"Trust yourself," the Doctor said. "When you're locked away in your room, the words just come, don't they? Like magic. Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm — words that last forever! That's what you do, Will! You choose perfect words. Do it. Improvise!"

He backed up a pace to stand with Rose and Martha, his eyes flicking between Shakespeare and the creatures flying above them.

Shakespeare looked thoughtful for a moment, then stepped forward. "Close up this den of hateful, dire decay!" he called. "Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not! Foul Carrionite specters, cease your show! Between the points…" He trailed off and glanced back at the Doctor.

"7-6-1-3-9-0!" the Doctor supplied quickly.

"7-6-1-3-9-0!" he repeated. "And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..." He trailed off again, and looked back at the Doctor, who looked blankly back.

"Expelliarmus!" Martha shouted quickly, and Rose and the Doctor grinned at her.

"Expelliarmus!" the Doctor yelled.

"Expelliarmus!" Shakespeare repeated.

"Good old JK!" the Doctor said, still grinning happily as he put an arm around each girl as the energy cloud suddenly funneled into a point in the stands, pulling the Carrionites, along with every page from the play, into oblivion.

"_Love's Labor's Won_," the Doctor said. "There it goes."

The cloud disappeared completely after another moment, and the audience let out a collective sigh before clapping happily.

"I'll be back," the Doctor whispered against Rose's ear before ducking out as the actors came on stage to take bows.

"They think it was all special effects," Martha said, staring at the audience.

"Your effect is special indeed," Shakespeare said, eyeing her up and down.

"It's not your best line," Martha said as Rose started giggling. Shakespeare stepped between them and led them both to the center of the stage to take a bow. As they straightened, Rose caught sight of the Doctor in a box seat holding up what looked like a crystal ball. He doffed an imaginary cap and blew her a kiss before disappearing again.

oOoOo

The Doctor scuffed a trainer on the stage as he wandered in the dark. It was all over, everything sorted. Witches' plot unraveled, mystery of the missing play solved. Everyone else was drinking, or singing, or laughing, or sleeping…and here he was, in the dark, alone. Last of the Time Lords. All the world's a stage…but at least, for the players here, when the show was done they knew who they were, could go back to their lives and continue living, any misdeeds or sins having been forgotten with a quick change and a curtain call. Not him.

He didn't have as many moments like this, not like he used to, of the dark introspection that used to take up every second, that would eventually overwhelm him and send him spinning off into the closest disaster he could find, just so he could run, so he could get away, so he could dance through the flames and forget the others he'd caused.

He didn't need to run all the time anymore. She'd changed all that. She'd torn down his walls and barricades, thrown open all the doors and windows, and let in so much light. She'd made him feel…worthy, again. Like the whole might be better than the sum of his parts.

But the demons still sang, and the shadows still danced, and sometimes it occurred to him that he had no idea who to be now. When he was alone with her, he felt a sort of calm that he'd...never really known. He didn't itch to run or change or hide or solve. He could just…be. But when it wasn't just them, when they were out in the real world, he still felt the compulsive need to hide himself away, to protect himself, to keep his secrets close and ordered, to bluff his way through and hope that no one noticed…how bad it still hurt. How much it all _still hurt_. The wounds left untreated still burned, and the ones she'd healed had left scars that ached.

She was an anchor, or a balance, or a balm, or whatever. But she couldn't take it away. Not really. She was still…he'd told her so much, but even she might leave if she knew the rest, how much more there was hiding in the murky recesses of his mind. She might leave anyway, because eventually…everyone did.

And then he wanted to scream in sheer frustration. Because she'd worked for two years, two agonizing years in which he'd hurt her and pushed her away and let her get hit with emotional shrapnel over and over, and she'd stayed, and she'd loved him…twice. The second time even more so, even managed to convince him to strip away some of his battered armor and let her heal him. Just so that she could give him forever. Why couldn't he just let himself be happy? Why did he have to constantly question, and theorize, and explain away everything that had the possibility of being decent?

Oh…that's right. Because, in the end, everything became twisted. Everything ended in pain and chaos and desperation, leaving him a little more torn, a little more weary, a little more haunted. He didn't know what he would have done had she been lost at Canary Wharf, and knew even less now what he would do if she left. The dependency…was a little worrying, even while it made the ache in his mind that he knew she could never fill throb just a little more in need. The emptiness left by a dead planet and a doomed race…

"'To be, or not to be'," he called to the empty rafters. "'That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?" He paced down toward the edge of the stage. "To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; to sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; for in that sleep of death what dreams may come…'"

He stared into the lonely darkness, waiting for answers that never came.

"'I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior Benedick'," came a voice from the eaves, and he spun around. "'Nobody marks you'."

And there she was, his stunning Rose, carrying a candle and chasing away the darkness, just like she always did. He couldn't help but smile.

"'My dear Lady Disdain!'" he called back as she stepped closer. "'Are you yet living?'"

"'Is it possible disdain should die,'" she said as she stepped past him and used her candle to light the ones at the edge of the stage. "'While she hath such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick? Courtesy itself must convert to disdain, if you come in her presence.'"

He grinned. Rose couldn't stand Shakespeare. And yet, here she was, quoting him flawlessly and making the tight band around his chest weaker with every word.

"'Then is courtesy a turncoat,'" he said. "'But it is certain I am loved by all the ladies, you excepted: and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart; for truly, I love none.'"

"'A dear happiness to women,'" she replied with an arched brow. "'They would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor. I thank God and my cold blood, I am of your humor for that: I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.'"

He brought a hand up to his chin, his other arm crossing his chest as he considered her. The candlelight danced off her blonde hair and in her hazel eyes...she really was breathtaking.

"'Come,'" he said, burying his hands in his pockets and shrugging. "'I will have thee; but, by this light, I take thee for pity.'"

"'I would not deny you,'" she said, her hands in her back pockets and her leg crossing her ankle, the picture of nonchalance as she switched acts with him effortlessly. "'But, by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion; and partly to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption.'"

"'Peace!'" he said, stepping toward her. "'I will stop your mouth.'"

He put an arm round her waist and pulled her to him, his other hand moving to cup the back of her head as he kissed her. He shivered when her own hand went to his hair, and he flicked his tongue along the part in her lips, deepening the kiss hungrily when she opened her mouth to him.

"You don't even like Shakespeare," he said huskily when he finally broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers.

"Oh, he's not so bad," she said with a smile. "He has his moments."

"That he does," the Doctor said, grinning. "How'd you know where to find me?"

"I know you," she said simply with a little shrug, and he smiled. She leaned up to kiss him again, and started pushing his heavy coat off his shoulders.

"Rose…" he said, pulling away a fraction and arching an eyebrow at her. "What are you doing?"

"Come on now, Doctor," she said with a teasing grin. "How often do you get a chance to dance on a stage as famous as this?"

oOoOo

Martha sat on the stage in the morning light with Shakespeare, feeling decidedly fuzzy. She had been tired when she'd first jumped into the ship with the Doctor, and then hadn't had much chance to sleep the first night they'd been here before the screaming started, then last night there had been…lots of beer, as Shakespeare celebrated saving the world with actors who cared less about that then free alcohol. Needless to say, she hadn't slept much last night either. She couldn't understand how the Doctor and Rose could still be so buoyant…they hadn't even come back to the inn last night. She couldn't help but wonder what had kept them so busy without her.

"And I say, a heart for a hart and a dear for a deer," Shakespeare was saying with a laugh when she tuned back in to the conversation. She smiled uncomprehendingly.

"I don't get it," she said.

"Then give me a joke from Freedonia," he said.

"OK," she said, thinking quickly. "Shakespeare walks into a pub and the landlord says 'oi, mate, you're bard'." She giggled.

"It's brilliant!" he said with another laugh. "Doesn't make sense, mind you, but never mind that...come here." He put a hand round her waist and pulled her closer.

"I've only just met you," she protested. Hadn't stopped her from kissing the Doctor. Or, at least, from standing happily while he kissed her.

"The Doctor will never kiss you," he said gently. "Not while he has his Rose. Why not entertain a man who will?"

He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled back. "I don't know how to tell you this, oh great genius, but your breath doesn't half stink."

The Doctor would never see her while Rose was around...but if she could just figure out _why_ he was so besotted by the girl…obviously, she was quick, and brave, and could keep up with the Doctor…but…surely, she'd had a steep learning curve to get to that point.

"Good props store back there!" the Doctor said as he and Rose sauntered onto the stage, pulling her from her thoughts. "I'm not sure about this though," he added, holding up an animal skull and glancing at Rose.

"Aw, our first Christmas!" Rose said with a giggle.

"Sorry?" Shakespeare said.

"Remember the spaceship on Christmas, Martha?" he asked. "This guy sort of looks like them. The Sycorax."

"Sycorax," Shakespeare said, even as Martha started in surprise. They had been there too? "Nice word. I'll have that off you as well."

"I should be on 10%," the Doctor commented, eyeing him. "How's your head?"

"Still aching," Shakespeare said.

"Here, try this," Rose said, taking the ruff from around the Doctor's neck and putting it on Shakespeare. "Neck brace. Should help."

"Wear that for a few days till it's better," the Doctor said. "Although you might wanna keep it. It suits you."

"What about the play?" Martha asked.

"Gone," the Doctor reported. "I looked all over — every single copy of _Love's Labor's Won_ went up in the sky."

"My lost masterpiece," Shakespeare said with a sigh.

"You could write it up again," Martha suggested.

"Or he could, you know, _not_ bring about the end of the world again," Rose muttered, and the Doctor nudged her with an elbow.

"Yeah, better not, Will," the Doctor said. "There's still power in those words. Maybe it should best stay forgotten."

"Oh, but I've got new ideas," Shakespeare said. "Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In memory of my boy — my precious Hamnet."

"Hamnet?" Martha asked.

"That's him," he said.

"Ham-NET?" she asked again.

"What's wrong with that?" he asked, sounding slightly offended.

"Anyway," the Doctor said pointedly, holding up the crystal. "Time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot can scream for all eternity and I've gotta take Martha back to Freedonia."

"You mean travel on through time and space," Shakespeare said, and all three stared at him.

"You what?" the Doctor asked, stunned.

"You're from another world like the Carrionites and Martha is from the future," he said. "That much isn't hard to work out. Rose...seems a bit of both, however. Something of Martha's land, but a mark of you about her."

"That's…incredible," the Doctor said with a smile. "You are incredible."

"We're alike in many ways, Doctor," he said, then leaned over and took Rose's hand, planting a kiss on it. "And it was an honor to work with your lovely...wife," he added, smiling when both the Doctor and Rose stiffened before turning to Martha again. "Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate—"

"Will! Will!" a voice interrupted just as Rose buried her face in the Doctor's shoulder to hide her mad giggles. "You'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up!"

Two actors hurried in to the theater, bouncing excitedly.

"We're the talk of the town," the other actor said. "She heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again."

"Who?" Martha asked.

"Her Majesty!" the actor said. "She's here!"

There was a huge fanfare, followed by the entrance of the stately Queen Elizabeth the First.

"Queen Elizabeth the First!" the Doctor cried happily.

"Doctor!" the queen said furiously.

"What?" he said, his face falling as confusion took over.

"Together with your scandalous wife!" she said, her eyes moving over to Rose.

"Sorry?" Rose said, stunned, even as the Doctor looked down at her in surprise.

"My sworn enemies!" the queen exclaimed.

"What?" the Doctor said again.

"Off with their heads!"

"What?" the Doctor shouted, sounding indignant now.

"Yeah, I think this is where we run," Rose said, taking his hand and already moving away. "C'mon, Martha! Nice to meet you Will!"

"See you, Will!" Martha called over her shoulder as they scurried away. "And thanks!"

"Stop that pernicious Doctor!" they heard the queen shout over Shakespeare's laughter.

They tore through the streets, pushing through groups of people and around carts while soldiers chased behind them, ordering them to stop—as if that was actually going to happen.

"What have you two done to upset her?" Martha shouted as they reached the TARDIS, Rose unlocking it quickly with the key round her neck.

"No idea," Rose said. "Haven't met her yet. Looks like fun though."

"That's time travel for you," the Doctor said. "Apparently, we have something to look forward to, Rose. Oh!"

He pulled the door shut just as a soldier loosed an arrow, hearing it connect with a thwack.


	13. Hey Jealousy

"Just one trip," the Doctor said as he steered the TARDIS into the Vortex and away from the Queen's guards. "'S'what I said. One trip, in the TARDIS, and then home. Although—I suppose we could—stretch the definition," he said, glancing at Rose before looking at Martha. "Try one trip to the past, one trip to the future. How do you fancy that?"

"No complaints from me," Martha said.

"Doctor," Rose said, and Martha immediately bristled.

"He offered," she hastily, eyeing Rose.

"Yeah, and that's fine," Rose said, taken aback. "I was just gonna say, if you're going to stay for another trip, you should really get some proper sleep before we go swanning off on another adventure. The Doctor forgets sometimes, you see, that humans—at least full humans—need sleep every night, and by the looks of you, a couple nights on a 16th century inn didn't cut it."

"I'm fine," Martha argued, even though her eyes burned and her head felt full of cotton.

"No…no, she's right, Martha," the Doctor said, looking at her carefully. "You could use a rest. C'mon, let's find you a room, and we'll take a trip when you get up."

"So you're not just gonna drop me home, then?" Martha asked, standing uncertainly.

"Nah," he said. "Told you, one forward, one back. Couldn't have done that one without you and your unparalleled knowledge of Harry Potter, after all. C'mon. Rose, I'll meet you in the media room."

He sauntered off down the corridor, leaving Martha little choice but to follow.

"So what'd you think?" he asked after a moment. "1599? Shakespeare? Saving the world?"

"I think it's brilliant," she said honestly. "Is it always like that?"

"Um…not always," he said, tugging at his ear. "We've actually managed quite a few completely disaster-free stops. We do seem to find ourselves in the middle of some crisis or other with…some frequency, I suppose, but they're not all to that scale. Though…some are worse," he added, a storm cloud passing over his face.

"Like Canary Wharf?" she asked quietly.

He looked down at her for a moment, and again she caught the glint in his eye that made him seem so much older than he looked—and then he swallowed and looked away, his face once again cheerful as he nodded to a door.

"Here we go," he said, turning the handle and opening the door into what looked like a mid-rate hotel room. "Bit plain…that's weird. But I suppose it'll do."

"Yeah, it's fine," she said, stepping closer and leaning against the door frame while she looked up at him. "Thanks."

He nodded, then looked down, apparently just noticing the lack of distance between them. She rolled her eyes at his hasty step back.

"Right…so," he said, clearing his throat. "Get some sleep, then we'll be off."

"Yeah," she said as he turned to go. "No, listen, I've got to ask. You and Rose. You're together."

He looked back at her warily for a moment. "Yes, Martha."

"_Why_?" she asked as the question burned through her brain.

"Does it matter?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"But…it just doesn't make sense," she burst out. "She's just some girl from the Estates. I mean, alright, only mostly human, but what does that even mean? I've seen the way you look at her, like she's some sort…dunno, goddess or angel or something. But she's just a _girl_. What makes her so special?"

"Hold on, let me make sure I've got this right," he said slowly, frowning as he buried his hands in his hands in his pockets. "You just saved the world by quoting _Harry Potter_, and you're honestly going to stand there and ask me about my relationship as if _that's_ the biggest puzzle for you to solving?"

"Well, if you two would actually say anything _ever_—"

"Stop," he said, putting a hand out and cutting her off. "Now, I'm going to assume that this conversation is due to utter exhaustion on your part, and pretend that it didn't happen. I will say that I'm sorry for any confusion that I caused you by inviting you along, but it was never more than a friendly gesture. I certainly don't need to explain myself to you, but know this: Rose Tyler is not and never has been 'just' _anything_, and the things she's done and been through would give you nightmares. But even without that…Martha, don't be that girl. You're better than that."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked testily.

"You just saved the world," he reminded her, rocking back on his heels as he leaned forward slightly to look in her face. "You traveled in time, met Shakespeare, saw witches—well, sort of witches. But you're standing here focused on petty jealousy of someone you know nothing about. Martha Jones, you could be so, so brilliant. Why would you insist on being so small?"

He turned without an answer and strode back down the corridor, leaving Martha alone and stunned. The things he'd said had managed to leave her even more confused. It had crossed her mind that with the whole "mostly human" thing that maybe he was just with her because he felt obligated to her because of whatever happened to her, but that hadn't sounded like someone who looked at Rose as an obligation. She wandered into the room, collapsing on the bed as she went through the day again. Yeah, they'd saved the world…and she had actually had an active part in it. But before that, when the Doctor was still puzzling everything out…she remembered the way both of he and Rose looked at each other while they were thinking…the way they picked up each other's trains of thought…the way they seemed to instinctively know what the other was doing…

She fell asleep before she could come up with any real answers.

oOoOo

The Doctor walked slowly toward the media room, his mind wrapped up in the conversation he'd had with Martha. He didn't like the idea of anyone thinking Rose was less than the amazing, capable woman he knew her to be, especially not when they were forcing the idea because of spite and jealousy. There was no other way that Martha could have thought of Rose as just "some girl". He shook his head. He could only hope she'd be better after some sleep. He'd meant what he said about her being brilliant. There was a reason that they'd invited her along, after all.

The Doctor shucked his jacket and tie as he entered the room, popping the top two buttons of his shirt and rolling up his shirtsleeves. It was mostly an unconscious gesture now—as soon as it was just him and Rose, the layers he kept between himself and the world fell away, both physically and metaphorically. He crouched down by one of the media cases, scanning titles and trying to decide what to watch while they waited for the human to wake up. He glanced up when Rose entered the room with a huge bowl of popcorn.

"What're you in the mood for?" he asked. "Think we've had enough horror…and I'm not really feeling musical right now. Oh, unless it's an old one, something with Fred Astaire—not Gene Kelley. I know you love him, but Fred Astaire is still the king. Oh, or comedy. Haven't watched Duck Soup in a while. I do love the Marx Brothers—" he stopped when he realized that Rose hadn't said a word. He twisted to see her sitting on the leather sofa, chewing on her nail with a thoughtful expression. "What is it?" he asked softly.

"Nothing," Rose said, looking up. "Pick whatever. Oh, but not Duck Soup. We've seen that a million times, almost as many as the Muppet movie."

"Rose," he said quietly, rising to join her on the sofa. He sat next to her, turning his body so he could face her, propping his arm up on the sofa back and resting his head on his fist. "What is it? You only do that…nail…bitey thing when something's bothering you. What's wrong? Is this about me offering Martha another trip?"

"No," she assured him, but paused. "Only…why did you? I sort of thought you liked it being just the two of us."

"I do," he said. "But it's been just the two of us for a while now, since Mickey left—no, I'm not counting your mother getting stuck on board—so I just thought it might be nice to have someone else around for a little while. You invited Donna, after all."

"I suppose. But…why her?" she asked, and it was so reminiscent of the _last_ time he'd try to offer a trip to another woman that he had to stop and study her carefully for a moment.

"Because she's clever and…has potential," he said slowly. "You don't like her?"

"It's not…that," she said hesitantly, then sighed. She scrubbed her hands over her face then through her hair as she brought her knees up to her chest. "I don't think she thinks much of me…and thinks quite a lot of you…"

"What?" he asked, frowning. "Did she say something? What did she say?"

"Nothing like that," Rose said, and he arched an eyebrow at her. "Really. But it's not hard to figure out. It's just…you know, before I came back, you had this whole separate life without me. And I can't help wondering, while we're meeting new people and having new adventures, what that was like. What you did, who you were…close to…"

"…whether I still cared about you," the Doctor added softly, "or whether I moved on to someone else?" Rose looked up at him a little guiltily. "Oh, Rose…you can't do that to yourself. That timeline is gone. Just by being here, you've completely unraveled it. You'll drive yourself mad going through all the what ifs and might have beens."

"I know," she said hastily. "It's stupid, I know."

"Hey, I never said it was stupid," the Doctor assured her, resting his free hand on her knee. "I know all about self-torture regarding the unknown. I was speaking from experience. I just don't want to see you go through that if you don't have to. Again, that timeline is gone. It doesn't matter what happened in it. But…if you're really concerned…you remember how I told you that the TARDIS showed me some of that life? It wasn't pretty. It was lonely, and filled with pain and desperation, devoid of the things I have now. Even if I had met Martha—and really, the number of things that could have kept me from meeting her are astronomical—do you really think that it would have made a difference whether you were here or not? You were still the one thing I wanted. So much it apparently drove me insane enough for the TARDIS to pull you back from another universe, regardless of the consequences. How many people do you really think she'd do that for?"

"Not many?" Rose hazarded in a small voice.

"Yeah, try none," he corrected. "Only you. Rose Tyler…I waited over nine hundred years to find you. Do you really think I'd just forget about that because a medical student got it in her head that she fancied me?"

"Suppose not," she said thoughtfully. Then a mischievous glint entered her eye. "Only…what if she could make banana bread without burning it?"

"Oh…" The Doctor let out a breath, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. "That…that might be tough. Because really, what I've seen you do to banana bread is nothing short of blasphemous." Rose started giggling as he looked back down at her. "Honestly, Rose, it's against the laws of thermodynamics for it to be raw on the outside and burnt in the middle," he continued mercilessly. "Your inability in the kitchen actually breaks universal laws. That's…that's almost something to be proud of."

She was laughing now, and he grinned at her before bringing his hand up and brushing a lock of hair from her face.

"Better now?" he asked after a moment, and she gave a small nod. "Martha, I can assure you—genetic transfer notwithstanding—is in no way a threat to you, nor could she be. She's going home after another trip anyway. And no more worrying about a timeline that no one particularly liked and you personally sent into oblivion, alright?"

Rose sighed. "Yeah, I'll work on it. I guess what we might have done doesn't matter as much as what we're doing."

"Exactly," he said. "And what we're doing…is watching a film, during which, the lights will be low and I may or may not attempt to snog you senseless and make us lose complete track of said film. How's that sound?"

"Dunno," she said with a teasing grin. "Sounds a bit domestic."

"Well…in that case, we could always skip the film," he offered, arching an eyebrow and pulling her closer as she giggled.


	14. Gridlock Part 1

_**Alright, I literally wrote three different versions of this, at least the first chapter and a half, before deciding which way to take it. Each one had its' merits, but I think this one covers everything the best. Also, I wrote the ending...oh...more times than I can count now. Many thanks to my wonderful beta, who put up with a lot of cursing and complaining about this one.**_

_**As always, thanks to my wonderful readers and reviewers. If I haven't replied personally (especially goes for guests, who I can't reply to), please know that I'm eternally grateful.**_

**oOoOo**

Martha woke up several hours later, disoriented for a moment until she remembered where she was. The TARDIS, the Doctor's time ship. That's right. It was pitch black in the room she'd been given. She stumbled over to the wall, cursing as she slammed into the bureau, and attempted to find a light switch. When she failed to find one, she hit the wall in frustration. She heard a low whine, and the lights came up a little, leaving the room in murky dimness, but at least she could see. She made her way to the ensuite, splashing water on her face and touching up her makeup again before stepping out into the corridor. She could swear she remembered where the console room was in relation to the room, but in only minutes she was well and truly lost. She wandered for another several minutes before she ran straight into Rose around a blind corner.

"There you are!" Rose said. "We were wondering what happened to you. C'mon."

She made her way around a last corner, and there was the console room in all its glory. She looked around it in confusion.

"Ah, Martha!" the Doctor said, looking up. "It's about time. Feeling better? Bright eyed and bushy tailed? Not that you have a tail, mind. If you did, then you'd look like Gravorians, they're an interesting lot. Their tails are extremely tactile. It's actually illegal to touch a Gravorian's tail without being married to one. I expect it has to be that way, otherwise they'd never get anything done." Rose laughed as Martha stared blankly at him. "Um. Are you ready for your trip?"

"Yeah, definitely," she said, walking over to sit in the jump seat. "Gotta tell you, though, the electricity on your ship is barmy. How do you even control the lights?"

"Oh...they sort of...control themselves," the Doctor said vaguely. "Why, what happened?"

"It was pitch black in that room when I woke up," she said, showing off the bruise already forming on her arm, and the Doctor frowned. "Couldn't see a thing. Slammed into the bureau, and I couldn't find any light switch. Ended up having to bang on the wall to get any light at all, and even that was barely enough to see by."

"Strange," the Doctor said, pulling out his sonic. "Let me see your arm?" He ran the sonic over her arm, and the soreness abated. Martha looked down in amazement as the bruise vanished. "The TARDIS has been known to play tricks, but nothing that would actually cause harm. Not unless you really annoy her somehow, and that's—" He stopped, looking at her, and his eyes cut to Rose briefly, then up to the ceiling. "Hmm."

"What?" Rose asked, looking concerned. "Is there something wrong with her?"

"Mmm…possibly not," he said, looking back down at Martha. "She just tends to get a bit…overprotective at times."

"But it's just a machine," Martha protested as his eyes bored into hers, making her feel decidedly uncomfortable about the conversation they'd had before she went to sleep regarding Rose.

"Bit more than that," Rose said distractedly. "But why would she be feeling protective at all? What happened?"

"Misunderstanding," the Doctor said quickly, seeming intent to do as he said and pretend the conversation never happened. His eyes returned to Martha's arm, turning it this way and that to make sure the bruise was gone completely before dropping it and returning to the console, his mood once again chipper. "Anyway, no harm done, well, none that couldn't be fixed anyway. So, trip forward. Oh, how about a different planet?"

"Can we go to yours?" Martha asked excitedly.

"Ahh, there's plenty of other places!" the Doctor said, turning away.

"Come on, though!" Martha said, hopping off the jump seat and following him around the console. "I mean, Planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look! What's it like?"

"Well...it's beautiful, yeah," the Doctor said slowly, still not looking up, but Martha didn't notice. She was too lost in imagining what the distant planet must look like.

"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?" she asked.

"Suppose it is," the Doctor said. Martha saw Rose move to his other side, looking up at him. Martha got the idea Rose might not have seen it yet either, though why it would take him two years to go back was beyond her.

"Great big temples and cathedrals," she continued rapturously.

"Yeah," said the Doctor, his movements still. Probably imagining it himself. It would probably only take a bit more persuasion.

"Lots of planets in the sky?" she asked.

The Doctor was quiet, looking down at his hands. She waited a beat for the manic energy to come back, for him to shoot them off across the universe to his own magical world.

"Leave it, Martha," Rose said quietly, looking over at her, her hand on the Doctor's arm.

"What?" she asked, confused. "Why? It sounds glorious. Can we go there?"

The Doctor looked down at Rose for a moment with a strange expression. They shared a look, then the Doctor swallowed hard and took a deep breath before glancing at Martha.

"Nah," he said, reaching around Rose to flick another switch before dancing away around the console again. "Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home! Instead…" He tweaked seemingly random settings before the TARDIS lurched again, landing. He quickly stepped away from the console and retrieved his coat and Rose's jacket. "This is much better. Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth! Second hope of mankind! Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built."

"How long have you been waiting to say that again?" Rose asked as they stepped towards the door.

"Since the first time we were here," he said with a grin as he opened the door and stepped out, leading the two girls—into the pouring rain.

"Oh, that's nice!" Martha said, scowling and zipping up her jacket hurriedly. "Time Lord version of dazzling."

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone," the Doctor said distractedly as he pulled the arrow from the door, looking at it for a moment before tossing it aside. "Come on, let's get under cover!"

He grabbed Rose's hand and took off down the street, Martha trailing behind. They ran past dumpsters and piles of rubbish, underneath old laundry lines filled with forgotten garments. The whole place seemed deserted.

"Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me," Martha said disdainfully as they ducked under an awning. "On a Wednesday afternoon."

"Yeah, what happened to apple grass and flying cars and everything?" Rose asked, looking around. "It was beautiful. This is...a bit bleak."

"Hold on, hold on," he said, glancing around and spotting a screen on the wall. "Let's have a look."

He walked over to it, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and trying to coax it back to life. It finally turned on, but revealed nothing but static. The Doctor banged on it once, and the screen flickered, revealing the face of a woman.

"– and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway," the woman was saying, and the screen shifted to reveal another view of the city, with tall, elegant buildings built along the coast of a sparkling river, with cars zooming overhead.

"Oh, there it is," Rose said with a smile. "It was just there," she said, pointing to a hill across the river from the city, "that we landed before, and we laid out in the apple grass and watched the cars go by while the new new Doctor lectured about the city."

"Mmm...that was an... exciting day," the Doctor said, his lips twitching. "Especially the end," he added with a wink at Rose before he looked around again. "This must be the lower levels. Down in the base of the tower, some sort of under-city."

"You've brought me to the slums?" Martha asked.

"Much more interesting!" the Doctor cried happily. "It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city."

"You'd enjoy anything," she replied with a smile.

"That's me," he said with a grin, holding out a hand as the rain faded. "Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!"

"So why're we coming back here?" Martha asked.

"Oh...we didn't get much chance to explore last time," the Doctor said evasively.

"Bit of a problem with the hospital and a bitchy trampoline," Rose added darkly, and the Doctor smirked.

"You realize you two never actually make any sense, right?" Martha asked, staring at them.

"Not the first time I've heard that," the Doctor said with a tilt of his head. "C'mon."

He took Rose's hand and guided Martha out from under cover with a hand on her back. They'd only made it a couple of steps though, when the top of one of the large green boxes lining the street flipped up to reveal the inside of a vendor's cart.

"Oh! You should have said," the man in the cart said. "How long you been there? Happy! You want Happy!"

"Customers!" shouted another voice, and they spun to see another stall open. "Customers! We've got customers!"

"We're in business!" called another as yet another stall opened for business. "Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read!"

The three continued to shout their wares, as the three travellers grew more wary.

"No, thanks," the Doctor said, turning in a slow circle.

"Are they selling drugs?" Martha asked.

"I think they're selling moods," he said quietly, frowning.

"Same thing, isn't it?" she asked.

The vendors started crying out again as a pale young woman dressed in dark clothes entered the alley. She made her way purposefully to one of the stalls as they watched.

"And what can I get you, my love?" the vendor asked.

"I want to buy Forget," the young woman said in a hollow voice.

"I've got Forget, my darling," the vendor assured her. "What strength? How much you want forgetting?"

"It's my mother and father," the woman said. "They went on the motorway."

"Oh, that's a swain," the vendor said, reaching behind her into the stall to pull out a small circular patch. "Try this. Forget Forty-three. That's twopence."

The young woman paid the vendor and turned away with the patch in hand, but Rose stepped up quickly before she could do anything with it.

"Hold on," she said softly. "What happened to your parents?"

"They drove off," the woman said.

"Alright," Rose said. "But...they might drive back, yeah?"

"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end," the woman said, a haunted look in her eyes. "I've lost them."

"But they can't have gone far," Rose said, trying to reason with her. "You could find them. My friends and I, we could help you."

The young woman looked at her for a moment, her face hopeless. The she looked down with a sigh and pressed the patch to her neck.

"No, no!" the Doctor said, stepping forward. "Don't—"

The woman looked up again with a serene, if slightly hazy expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" she asked.

"Your parents," the Doctor said. "Your mother and father. They're on the motorway."

"Are they?" she asked. "That's nice."

Martha gaped at her, then looked at the Doctor. He looked upset, but not at all surprised. Rose simply looked sad.

"I'm sorry," the woman said. "I won't keep you."

She staggered off down the alley, and the Doctor followed for a few steps, then simply watched with a frown.

"So that's the human race five billion years in the future," Martha said. "Off their heads on chemicals."

They spun around when the heard Rose scream behind them. A man had one arm thrown around her neck and another around her waist and arms as he carried her off with some difficulty while she fought and kicked. A woman was standing in front of them pointing a gun in the direction of the Doctor and Martha.

They shouted apologies and explanations, but were drowned out by the screams of the furious Doctor.

"No, let her go!" he shouted as he advanced on them. "I'm warning you, let her go! Whatever you want, I can help, but you have to _let her go_!"

They managed to drag Rose away behind a heavy green door, slamming it behind them. The Doctor ran up to it, Martha close behind as he wrestled with it, growling in frustration. He pulled out his sonic and pointed it at the door, succeeding in unlocking it, and they tore down a disused corridor. They made it to a fire escape just as a flying car, presumably with Rose inside, took off from another alley.

"ROSE!" the Doctor screamed. He cursed and spun around, running back down the corridor, barely noticing Martha at all. He pulled out his phone and punched a few keys before putting it up to his ear. Another few seconds and he was snapping it closed again with another curse.

"No answer," he muttered. "Can't or won't."

"Who were they?" Martha asked. "Where were they going?"

"Let's find out," the Doctor said, banging on one of the stall doors as they made it back to the alley.

"Thought you'd come back!" the vendor said as she opened the stall again. "Do you want some happy Happy?"

"Those people," the Doctor said, ignoring her sales pitch. "Who were they? Where did they take her?"

"They've taken her to the motorway," said another vendor.

"Looked like carjackers to me," said the vendor in front of them.

"I'd give up now, darling," the third vendor advised. "You won't see her again."

"Used to be thriving in this place," the second vendor said. "You couldn't move. But they all go to the motorway in the end."

The Doctor had spun around as each of them spoke, and now stood between them, his gaze flitting to each in turn.

"He kept on saying three," he said. "We need three. What did he mean, three?"

"It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel," said the first vendor. "You get special access if you're carrying three adults."

"This motorway – how do I get there?" he asked.

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end," she replied. "You cannae miss it."

He spun and strode off, slowing marginally and taking Martha's hand as an afterthought to pull her with him.

"Tell you what," the vendor called after them. "How 'bout some happy Happy? Then you'll be smiling, my love!"

The Doctor dropped Martha's hand and turned back, and Martha backed away slightly. The fury that emanated from him was shocking and disorienting, being so used to the brilliant and slightly manic Doctor.

"Word of advice, all of you," he said darkly. "Cash up. Close down. And pack your bags."

"Why's that, then?" the vendor asked.

"Because as soon as I've found her, alive and well," he said, "and I _will_ find her, alive and well – then I'm coming back. And this street is closing. Tonight!"

oOoOo

"Yeah," a voice said, floating back to Rose as she slowly fought he way back to consciousness. "The view from the windows. You can see all the way out to the flatlands."

She looked up blearily, disoriented. What happened? She was in an alley with Martha and the Doctor...talking to a girl...then...oh. Then she got kidnapped. Again. And then they'd knocked her out with...something. She reached up and pulled the patch off her neck and looked at it for a moment before throwing it away.

"The sky," the voice continued dreamily as she looked around. "They say the air smells like apple grass. Can you imagine?"

"The houses are made of wood," said the man. "There are jobs going in the foundries. Everyone says so!"

Rose spotted the gun and grabbed it, then frowned at it.

"This isn't even a real gun, is it?" she asked suddenly as she sat up, and the other two whirled around to look at her. "You kidnapped me with a _fake gun_."

"I'm sorry," the woman said. "It was our only choice. I wouldn't even know how to fire a real gun."

"I would," Rose said with a snort, tossing it aside. "Fat lot of good that does me now, though. What's going on? Why'd you take me like that? Who are you?"

"Um...well, I'm Cheen, and this is Milo," the woman said. "What's your name?"

"Rose," she said. "The other two questions now."

"Oh, um, right," Cheen stammered. "I swear we're sorry. We're really, really sorry. We just needed access to the fast line, but I promise, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off and you can go back and find your friends."

"No," Rose said slowly. "If it was as simple as that you, you would have just asked."

"I swear! Look –" Cheen said, pulling back her hair to reveal the patch on her neck. Rose stepped forward gingerly to look at it. It said "Honesty-36". "Honesty patch."

"You need a patch for that?" Rose said with a snort. "Can't be working too well if you're still resorting to kidnapping. Where are we?"

"We're on the motorway," Cheen said.

Rose stooped and looked out the window. The whole view was obscured by a dense, white fog.

"What's that?" she asked. "That's not just fog."

"That's the exhaust fumes," Cheen said.

"We're going out to Brooklyn," Milo said. "Everyone says the air's so much cleaner, and we couldn't stay in Pharmacy Town, 'cause…" He trailed off and looked at Cheen, reaching over to rub her knee.

"Well, 'cause of me," Cheen said, smiling up at her. "I'm pregnant. We only discovered it last week. Scan says it's going to be a boy."

Milo gave a sort of victory fist pump.

Rose stared at them, slackjawed. "Yeah, that's great, wonderful, _molto bene_," she said after a moment. "I'm sure that one day you'll have your own happy little gang of human traffickers, family business, couldn't be more thrilled for you. But right now, you have to take me back."

"We can't," Milo said. "We're already passed the entrance to Pharmacy town, and half way to the fast lane. But listen, this'll be as fast as we can. We'll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyover, and then after that it's gonna take a while, 'cause then there's no fast lane, just ordinary roads, but at least it's direct."

"It's only ten miles," Cheen said reassuringly.

Rose heaved a sigh, looking out the window again. "How long is it gonna take?"

"About six years," Cheen said.

Rose stared at her. "...you're joking."

"Be just in time for him to start school," she said happily with an adoring look at Milo.

"No, no...now...wait," Rose said, putting a hand over her eyes. "Ten miles...in six years? Why? Why's it take so long?"

oOoOo

The Doctor and Martha made their way through the alley until they got to a door marked "Motorway Access." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver again and pointed it at the door.

"Don't worry, Doctor," Martha tried to say soothingly. "We'll find her."

"Oh, I know I will," he said, his voice still darkly determined as the door unlocked and he pushed it open. They stepped out on a platform and were immediately overwhelmed by the fumes that pressed against them from all sides. Layers upon layers of flying cars hovered in front of them. It was less than a minute before they were both coughing furiously.

Suddenly, a side door on the vehicle in front of them opened to reveal a large figure covered in protective gear.

"Hey! You daft little street struts!" the figure shouted. "What are you doing, standing there? Either get out or get in! Come on!"

The Doctor touched Martha's back, pushing her gently across the platform to jump before him, then he followed quickly.

"Did you ever see the like?" the figure asked the dark haired woman in the car as he slammed the door closed again.

"Here you go," the woman said, handing over an oxygen mask. The Doctor, still coughing, gestured to Martha. "Oh, hush, I've got another," but did as he directed, Martha taking it gratefully, before handing him the second one.

"Just standing there, breathing it in!" the figure said as he pulled off his goggles, cap, and scarf, revealing the face of a cat. Martha gaped at him from behind her mask, and felt the Doctor nudge her. She looked up at him, and he gave her a warning look and a head shake.

"There's this story says back in the old days," the cat man said. "On Junction Forty-Seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet!"

"Oh, you're making it up," the woman said with a laugh.

"A fifty-foot head!" he crowed, heading to the front of the vehicle and dropping back down in the driver's seat. "Just think of it. Imagine picking that nose."

"Stop it," the woman said. "That's disgusting."

"What?" he asked, amused. "Did you never pick your nose?"

The woman smiled, but then suddenly sat up straight, tapping the driver on the arm.

"Bran, we're moving," she said quickly.

"Right," he said. "I'm there. I'm on it."

He pulled a lever on the console, and moved forward slowly with horns blaring from every side. The momentum only lasted a few seconds though, before he was pushing the back into position.

"Twenty yards!" he said, marveling. "We're having a good day."

They turned again to face them just as the Doctor pulled off his oxygen mask, pulling out his phone again to try Rose.

"And who might you be?" the man asked as the Doctor put the phone to his ear. "Very well-dressed for hitchhikers."

"Thanks," Martha said, pulling off her own mask. "Um, I'm Martha, Martha Jones, and this is—" She stopped and stared at him as he growled and snapped the phone shut again angrily.

"What's the point in having one if you won't answer?" he muttered. Then looked up and pasted on a grin, holding out his hand. "Hello, yes, sorry, I'm the Doctor."

"Medical man!" the cat man said happily, shaking his hand. "My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie."

"Nice to meet you," Valerie said.

"And that's the rest of the family behind you," Brannigan said, gesturing to the back of the vehicle.

The Doctor turned and pulled a curtain behind them, revealing a basket of kittens.

"Aww, that's nice," he said with a smile. "Hello."

"They're cats," Martha whispered.

"Yes, they are," the Doctor said quietly, still smiling as he reached out for the kittens. "They also may have just saved our lives. Perspective, Martha. How old are they?" he asked in a louder voice, holding a tiny black kitten in his hands as he turned back to its parents.

"Just two months," Valerie said with a smile.

"Poor little souls," Brannigan said. "They've never known the ground beneath their paws. Children of the motorway."

"What, they were born in here?" the Doctor asked, puzzled.

"We couldn't stop," Valerie said. "We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance."

"You've been driving for two months?" Martha asked.

"Do I look like a teenager?" Brannigan asked with a chuckle. "We've been driving for twelve years now."

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor asked, completely stunned.

"Yeah," Brannigan said. "Started out as newlyweds! Feels like yesterday."

"Feels like twelve years to me," Valerie said.

"Ahh, sweetheart, but you're still lovely," Brannigan said, reaching over to tickle her, making her giggle.

"Hold on, though," Martha said. "Twelve years? How far did you come? Where did you start?"

"Battery Park," Brannigan said. "It's five miles back."

"You travelled five miles in twelve years?" the Doctor asked incredulously.

"I think he's a bit slow," Brannigan said.

"Where are you from?" Valerie asked as the Doctor handed the kitten off to Martha, who stroked it for a moment before putting it back in its basket.

"Never mind that," the Doctor said. "I've got to get out. My…friend's in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. I should get back to the TARDIS."

He pulled open the door, but there was nothing but a cloud of smoke. The platform was gone.

"You're too late for that," Brannigan said as the Doctor coughed and closed the door again. "We've passed the lay-by. You're passengers now, Sonny Jim!"

"When's the next lay-by?" he asked urgently.

"Oh…six months?" Brannigan hazarded.

oOoOo

Rose patted her pockets with increasing desperation. She had to get ahold of the Doctor...he didn't do well when she was taken, he had to be furious. If she didn't call him soon, he might rip the whole place apart, car by car, just to find her.

"What're you doing?" Cheen asked.

"Looking for my...communicator...thingy," she said, looking around to see if it had fallen. "I need to call my friends."

"You mean this thing?" Cheen asked, holding it out...well, most of it. The phone was clearly unusable. Rose groaned as she took it. "Sorry, it fell out of your pocket when we were hoisting you into the car."

"Showing once again what a brilliant move that was," Rose said scathingly, then sighed. He'd find her. He always did. As angry as she was at the situation, it wouldn't help to be a complete bitch either. She moved to the front again and looked out the window. "How many cars are out there?"

"I don't think anyone knows," Cheen said. She reached behind her for something, and held it out to Rose. "Here you go. Hungry?"

Rose eyed the package of wafer distrustfully. She'd been travelling for too long to take anything at face value. "What is it?"

"Um...recycled waste," Cheen said.

"I think I'm good, yeah," Rose said. "But I don't understand, why're you all stuck in here? Last time I was here, cars were flying up in the air, all over the place."

They both gave her a strange look.

"Don't be daft," Cheen said with a worried smile. "No one's been able to go anywhere without the motorway in decades. How long ago were you here?"

"Um…not completely sure," Rose said slowly. "It's…complicated. Alright, so where's this fast lane, then?"

"Oh, it's right at the bottom," Milo said. "Underneath the traffic jam. But not many people can afford three passengers, so it's empty down there. Rumor has it you can reach up to thirty miles per hour."

"That fast, eh?" Rose asked, her eyebrows raised, and they smiled. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around the capsule again. "But how're you supposed to live in this thing for the next six years? It's tiny. Add in a baby..."

"Oh, we stocked up," Cheen said. "Got self-replicating fuel, muscle stimulants for exercise, and there's a chemical toilet at the back for recycling, like I said."

"Oh, another gap," Milo said happily. "This is brilliant!"

"Car sign in," and electronic voice said.

Milo picked up a transmitter and held it to his mouth. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, on descent to fast lane, thank you very much."

"Please drive safely," the electronic voice replied.

_C'mon, Doctor_, Rose thought.


	15. Gridlock Part 2

"I need to talk to the police," the Doctor said into the transmitter in Brannigan's vehicle.

"Thank you for your call," an electronic voice said. "You have been placed on hold."

"But you're the police!" he said, incredulously.

"Thank you for your call," the voice repeated. "You have been placed on hold."

He made another growl and scrambled back towards Brannigan and Valerie. "Is there anyone else? I once met the Duke of Manhattan; is there any way of getting through to him?"

"Oh, now, ain't you lordly?" Brannigan asked.

"I've _got_ to find my friend," he said.

"You can't make outside calls," Valerie said. "The motorway's completely enclosed."

"What about the other cars?" Martha asked as the Doctor growled again, trying to pace in the small space and running a hand through his hair. "Can you call them?

"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah," Brannigan said. "Well, some of them, anyway. They've got to be on your friends list. Now, let's see – who's nearby? Ahh! The Cassini sisters!" He picked up the transmitter. "Still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here."

"Get off the line, Brannigan," came an elderly voice. "You're a pest and a menace."

"Oh, come on, now, sisters," he said. "Is that any way to talk to an old friend?"

"You know full well we're not sisters," the voice said. "We're married."

"Oooh, stop that modern talk," Brannigan said with a chuckle. "I'm an old-fashioned cat. Now, I've got a hitchhiker here, calls himself the Doctor."

He handed the transmitter off to the Doctor, who grabbed it and brought it to his mouth hurriedly. "Hello. Sorry. I'm looking for someone called Rose Tyler. She's been carjacked. She's inside one of these vehicles, but I don't know which one."

"Wait a minute," said another voice. "Could I ask, what entrance did they use?"

"Where were we?" the Doctor asked.

"Pharmacy Town," Brannigan supplied.

"Pharmacy Town, about twenty minutes ago," the Doctor reported.

"Let's have a look," the voice said.

"Just my luck to marry a car spotter," the first voice said.

"In the last half hour, fifty-three new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction," said the second.

"Anything more specific?" he asked impatiently.

"All in good time," the voice said. "Was she car-jacked by two people?"

"Yes, she was, yeah," he said, perking up slightly.

"There we are," the voice said. "Just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane. That means they had three on board. And car number is four six five diamond six."

"That's it!" he said, hope rising in him.

"So how do we find them?" Martha asked.

"Ah," the second voice said. "Now, there I'm afraid I can't help."

"Can we call them on that thing?" Martha asked, nodding to the transmitter. "We've got their number now."

"Not if they're designated fast lane," Brannigan said. "It's a different class."

"You could try the police," said one of the Cassinis.

"They put me on hold," the Doctor said.

"You'll have to keep trying," the woman said. "There's no one else."

"Thank you," the Doctor said wearily as he handed back the transmitter. Martha touched his arm comfortingly, but he barely glanced at her before staring out the window again, a hard expression on his face.

oOoOo

"See? Another ten layers to go," Milo said, showing Rose the diagram showing the layers of traffic and their car in it. "We're scorching."

She nodded, then froze when she heard an odd sound, something like a groan or a growl.

"What's that?" she asked. It came again. "It's coming from down there, down in the fast lane. What is it?"

"It's that noise isn't it?" Cheen said. "It's like Kate said. The stories are true."

"What stories?" Rose asked, looking between them.

"It's the sound of the air vents," Milo said patiently. "That's all. The exhaust fumes travel down, so at the base of the tunnel they've got air vents."

"No, but the stories are much better," Cheen said, and Milo chuckled fondly. "They say people go missing on the motorway. Some cars just vanish, never to be seen again. 'Cause there's something living down there, in the smoke. Something huge. And hungry. And if you get lost on the road…it's waiting for you."

The noise got louder, and the stared at each other.

"But like I said. Air vents," Milo said. "Going down to the next layer."

"Right," Rose said with a shrug. "Air vents. Only, small thing, if the air vents were working, do you think it would look like that out there?" she asked, nodding out the window and staring at them. The rumbling noise picked up again. "No...that's something else."

"Nah," Milo said derisively after a moment. "Kid stuff."

oOoOo

"We've got to go to the fast lane," the Doctor told Brannigan. "Take me down."

"Not in a million years," Brannigan said with a shake of his head.

"You've got enough passengers," the Doctor said. "You only need three, you've got four here, not even counting the rest of the family."

"I'm still not going," Brannigan said.

"Please, Brannigan," the Doctor said, feeling desperate. "She's alone down there, I'm all she's got left. I'm asking you, _begging _you, Brannigan—take me down."

"That's a no," Valerie said. "And that's final. I'm not risking the children down there."

"What's down there?" Martha asked. "Why're you so afraid of it?"

"We're not discussing it!" Valerie snapped. "The conversation is closed!"

"So we keep on driving," the Doctor said.

"Yes, we do," Brannigan said, staring straight ahead.

"_For how long_?" he asked.

"'Till the journey's end," the cat replied.

The Doctor reached around him and snatched the transmitter. "Mrs. Cassini, this is the Doctor. Tell me, how long have you been driving on the motorway?"

"Oh, we were amongst the first," the woman replied. "It's been twenty-three years now."

"And in all that time, have you ever seen a police car?" he asked, eyeing the couple in the car as he asked. They looked at him, shifting uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure," said the car spotter.

"Look at your notes," he suggested. "Any police?"

"Not as such," she replied.

"Or an ambulance?" he asked. "Rescue service? Anything official? Ever?"

"I can't keep a note of everything," she said, clearly upset.

"What if there's no one out there?" he asked.

Brannigan reached up and snatched the transmitter from the Doctor angrily.

"Stop it," he said. "The Cassinis were doing you a favor."

"Well someone's got to ask," Martha said, stepping closer. "'Cause you don't talk about it, but you know he's right. You're afraid of something."

"You're afraid that this is it," the Doctor said. "That you're all alone."

"There's a whole city above us," Brannigan said. "The mighty city-state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us."

"In that case, where are they?" the Doctor pressed, even while a part of him knew it was unfair. It wasn't their fault, and it wasn't their responsibility…but he was so far beyond frustrated and angry that he didn't care. "Hmm? What if there's no help coming, not ever? What if there's nothing? Just the motorway, with the cars going round and round and round, never stopping? _Forever_?"

"Shut up!" Valerie shouted suddenly. "Just shut up!"

The screen suddenly crackled to life, showing the woman they'd seen earlier in the alley.

"This is Sally Calypso," she said, "and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation."

"You think you know us so well," Brannigan said, looking between them. "But we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other."

"This is for all of you out there on the roads," Sally Calypso said. "We're so sorry. Drive safe."

The Doctor stepped back, watching them as they started to sing. He glanced down to see Martha take up the song as well. He wondered if Rose was down there, somewhere, singing along. His hearts constricted painfully as he pulled out his phone, yet again, hitting redial as the song continued, but to no avail. They hadn't even set up voicemail properly...who else would call them? Now he sincerely wished he could at least hear her voice, to give him some added hope that she was alright, wherever she was.

oOoOo

Rose watched as the other two sang their hymn. It was one she remembered vaguely from childhood, back when Nana Prentice used to drag her to church. It was one of hope and glory...and she sighed, toying with her broken phone. What was he doing right now? She could picture him pacing somewhere, running his hands through his hair, shouting at...someone. Anyone. Because he was frustrated and yelling helped. She could imagine Martha watching him with wide eyes, shocked at the way the tension came off him in waves when he was angry. Would he find a way to get to her? Better yet...she had dark suspicions about this whole situation. Everything about this was wrong. People might not say it, but it was. If people were desperate enough to kidnap others off the street to cut a ten mile journey down to _six years_, in a place with mystery sounds that may or may not cause cars to disappear, something was definitely wrong. But this was the Doctor. He always saved her, her and everyone else, even if they didn't know they needed it.

"Fast lane access," and electronic voice said as the hymn faded, pulling Rose from her thoughts. "Please drive safely."

"We made it," Milo said, with pleasant surprise. "The fast lane."

oOoOo

The Doctor stayed quiet for a moment after the hymn ended. Valerie and Martha both had tears in their eyes. They had faith in each other, in some great cosmic design. Well, he had faith in two things. Just two. Rose...and his ability to find her, always.

"Maybe if we try the police again—" Martha started.

"What for?" he asked, looking down at her. "They're not there. There's no one there."

"Well…but what else can you do?" Martha asked.

"Oh, Martha Jones," he said, shaking his head and smiling in a slightly predatory way that was completely unnerving for the medical student. "When it comes to getting back to Rose, I think you'll find that there's very little I can't do."

He glanced around the capsule for a moment, then crouched in the middle of the floor, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and inspecting the emergency hatch.

"What do you think you're doing?" Brannigan asked as he and Valerie turned around, shocked.

"Finding my own way," the Doctor said as he opened the hatch. "I usually do."

"No, but you can't just leave me," Martha said.

He hesitated, looking at her. It was just supposed to be one more trip.

"Martha, I'll come back for you," he said, standing and putting his hands on her upper arms as he looked down into her face. "I promise you. But I have to find her. Brannigan, look after this one for me for a bit would you? Oh, and this," he added, taking off his coat and handing it to Martha. "Trust me, best insurance you could have. I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat."

He crouched down by the hatch again, watching for a car and steeling himself for the jump.

"But you can't jump!" Valerie cried.

"If it's any consolation, Valerie," he said, looking up at her. "Right now, I'm having kittens."

"This Rose," Brannigan said. "She must mean an awful lot to you."

"Everything," the Doctor said without hesitation. "She's just...everything. Only family I've got." He took a deep breath. "Bye then!" he called, and jumped down to the next car. He ran the sonic screwdriver over the roof hatch as the fumes caught him, making him cough and wheeze. He hopped down into the capsule as the hatch swung open.

"Who the hell are you?" asked the _extremely _pale man in the driver's seat.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol," he said as he crouched on the floor near the hatch. "I'm doing a survey. How are you enjoying your motorway?"

"Well, not very much," he said. "Junction Five's been closed for three years!"

"Thank you," he said. "Your comments have been noted. Have a nice day!"

He continued on, snagging a handkerchief from the next car to help with the fumes, averting his eyes from the nudists in the next one, saluting the next driver...on and on, through the layers of traffic, every one bringing him closer to Rose.

oOoOo

Rose chewed a nail and stared at the screen with the two occupants. Milo had already tried twice to find an open exit to the Brooklyn flyover, but to no avail.

"What do we do?" Cheen asked desperately.

"We'll keep going round," Milo said. "We'll do the whole loop. By the time we come back round, they'll be open."

The rumbling sound came again, and Rose looked around, tense.

"Those aren't air vents," she said.

"What else could it be?" Milo asked.

"I dunno," Rose said, looking around. Seriously, she was going to have to get a sonic thingy of her own. She really hated being helpless. "But I'll tell you what, it's not machinery. Something's alive out there."

"It's all exhaust fumes out there," Milo pointed out. "Nothing could breathe in that."

"Unless it's meant to," Rose muttered. "Cause there's a lot of things out there that eat and breathe and communicate in a million different ways. There's a species out there, yeah? They literally _devour _books to gain knowledge. Smart system," she added with a grin.

"What are you talking about?" Milo asked, his face blank.

"I'm saying that there could be something out there that thrives in exactly the type of environment this traffic jam created," Rose said. "Which means...we could be in very big trouble, very soon."

"Calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six," came a voice over the transmitter. "Repeat, calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six."

"This is Car Four Six Five Diamond Six," said Milo after snatching it up. "Who's that? Where are you?"

"I'm in the fast lane, about fifty yards behind," the voice said. "Can you get back up? Can you get off the fast lane?"

"We only have permission to go down," he said. "We—we need the Brooklyn Flyover."

"It's closed. Go back up," the voice ordered.

"We can't," Milo insisted. "We'll just go round."

"Don't you understand?" the voice said. "They're closed. They're always closed."

Cheen put her hands to her mouth as she let out a sort of gasping moan. Rose put a hand on her shoulder, and Cheen grasped it with one of hers.

"We're stuck down here," the voice continued. "And there's something else. Out there, in the fog. Can't you hear it?"

Rose snatched the transmitter from Milo. "Any idea what it is? How to avoid it?"

"I don't know," the voice said. "It's big. Only way to avoid it is by getting the hell out of the fast lane. Move!"

They heard a crash and a metallic crunch and screaming from the other car.

"What was that?" Milo asked.

"I can't move!" the voice cried. "They've got us!"

"But what's happening?" Milo asked.

Rose shook her head. "There's nothing we can do. Just drive. Go!"

"Where?" Milo asked.

"Blimey, just go straight!" she hollered, losing patience. "Just bleeding move, fast!"

Milo pressed a few buttons, and the vehicle shot forward. Rose was more sure than ever that it wasn't just her that needed the Doctor now...it was everyone.

oOoOo

The Doctor jumped down into another vehicle, wheezing. A man in a bowler hat turned in surprise as he landed.

"'Scuse me, is that legal?" the man asked.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol," the Doctor choked out, coughing, then gave up. "Whatever. Have you got any water?"

"Certainly," the man said, reaching over to a water cooler to fill a conical cup for him. "Never let it be said I've lost my manners."

He handed the cup to the Doctor, and he drained it immediately. Having respiratory bypass and a body that could remove toxins at a ridiculous pace did not mean that jumping through several layers of cars in smog so thick he could practically eat it was comfortable. He took a few deep breaths.

"Is this the last layer?" he asked finally.

"We're right at the bottom," Bowler said. "Nothing below us but the fast lane."

"Can we drive down?" he asked.

"There's only two of us," Bowler said. "You need three to go down."

"Couldn't we just cheat?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, I'd love to," Bowler replied. "But it's an automated system. The wheel would lock."

"If you'll excuse me," he said, running over to the emergency hatch in the floor and using the sonic screwdriver to flip it open.

"You can't jump," Bowler said. "It's a thousand feet down!"

"No, I just want to look," he said, peering through the fog. Tiny lights dotted the fog in the distance, and he heard a sort of screeching growl down in the depths of the motorway. "What's that noise?"

"I try not to think about it," Bowler said.

"What are those lights?" he asked. "What's down there?" He coughed again, waving his hand in front of his face at the smoke. "I just need to see."

He jumped up and ran for the screen at the front of the car, tapping at it with the sonic screwdriver.

"There must be some sort of ventilation," he said. "If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system, give us a bit of a breeze."

He leaned down underneath the display, using the sonic screwdriver to pry open the console, exposing the wires. He examined several of them, splicing them together in different ways with the help of the sonic screwdriver. Suddenly, air vents outside wheezed to life.

"That's it!" he cried. "Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look."

He jumped back over to the hatch, staring down into the depths with the driver of the vehicle.

"What are those shapes?" Bowler asked as they became clearer.

"They're alive," the Doctor said as huge, snapping claws rose toward them from below.

"What the hell are they?" Bowler asked.

"Macra," the Doctor said darkly, looking at the giant, crablike creatures.

oOoOo

"Go faster!" Cheen yelled as the whole car shook and lurched from side to side.

"I'm at top speed!" Milo yelled back.

"No access above," an electronic voice intoned.

"But this is an emergency!" Milo yelled.

"Thank you for your call," the voice said. "You have been placed on hold."

"Turn everything off," Rose said suddenly, chewing on her nail.

"You've got to be joking," Milo said.

"Does it look like I'm joking?" she snapped back. "'Cause think about it, that fog's too thick to see through. So it's gotta be something else. The engines, the sound, the heat, the light, whatever. Just turn everything off."

"What if you're wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm not," she said with more confidence than she felt. "But even if I was, what other choice do you have?"

He looked at her for a moment, then turned and started flicking switches along the top of the car and the console. The effect was immediate. The car suddenly stopped jolting, and they were quiet as they listened to the screeching outside fade.

"They've stopped," Cheen said softly.

"Yeah, but they're still out there," Milo pointed out.

"That's helpful, cheers," Rose muttered. The Doctor really was rubbing off on her in the worst ways.

"How did you think of that?" Cheen asked.

Rose shrugged. "No other options. Unfortunately, that's all I've got right now."

"Well, you better think of something else quick," Milo said. "Because we've lost the aircon. If we don't switch the engines back on, we won't be able to breathe."

"How long have we got?" she asked.

"Eight minutes, maximum," he told her.

She stared ahead, chewing on her nail as Cheen started crying softly.

oOoOo

"The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy," the Doctor explained quietly to Bowler. "Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food."

"They don't exactly look like empire-builders to me," Bowler said.

"Well, that was billions of years ago," he said. "Billions. They must've devolved down the years and now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry...and Rose is down there."

A resounding thud on the roof of the car made them both look up quickly.

"Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!" cried Bowler as the hatch opened and a pair of feet dangled down before someone dropped into the car.

"I've invented a sport!" the Doctor said, coming forward.

"Doctor, you're a hard man to find," the cat said, looking up at him.

"No guns!" Bowler ordered, pointing to the weapon in her hands. "I'm not having guns!"

"I only brought this in case of pirates," she said. "Doctor, you've got to come with me."

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"You haven't aged at all," she said. "Time has been less kind to me."

The Doctor stared at her for a moment before recognition dawned. "Novice Hame!" he said, throwing his arms around her with a grin, then: "No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation."

"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor," she said. "For so many years, under his guidance. And if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said. "You've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra! And if Rose is still alive, she's stuck down there!"

"You've got to come with me right now!" she cried.

"No, no, no, you're coming with me," he said. "We've got three passengers now."

"I'm sorry, Doctor," she said. "But the situation is even worse than you can imagine." She grabbed his wrist and pressed a buton on the wristband she was wearing. "Transport."

"Don't you dare!" he cried. "Don't you dare!"

But it was too late. A bright white light, and then he was dumped on the floor of another room. He groaned, picking himself up gingerly.

"Rough teleport...ow..." he said as he got to his feet, then rounded on Hame. "But you can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Rose."

"I only had the power for one trip," she protested.

"Then get some more!" he shouted. "Where are we?"

"High above," she said. "In the over-city."

"Good!" he said. "'Cause you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word. They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway! Millions!"

"But you're inside the Senate, right now," she said. "May the goddess Santori bless them."

He looked around, stunned, taking in the grim scene of skeletons draped around the once grand chamber. Hame explained about Bliss, about the virus that mutated in it. About how the whole city died in minutes. About how the last thing they were able to do was close the motorway, shutting the people away from their own safety for nearly two and a half decades.

"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic?" he asked softly.

"There's not enough power to get them out," Novice Hame said. "We did all we could to stop the system from choking."

"Who's 'we'?" he asked. "How did you survive?"

"He protected me," she said with a smile. "And he has waited for you, these long years."

"Doctor," said a low, grumbling voice. The Doctor looked up and darted around a corner to see the Face of Boe in his glass case and smoke. He dashed over and knelt in front of him, just as he had the last time they met.

"The Face of Boe!" he said happily.

"I knew you would come," Boe said.

"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse," Hame said. "As penance for my sins."

"Old friend, what happened to you?" he asked.

"Failing," Boe said.

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke," Hame said. "But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea."

"So he saved them," the Doctor said in realization.

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe," she replied. "He's giving his life force just to keep things running."

"But there are planets out there," the Doctor said, confused. "You could have called for help."

"The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe," Hame said. "The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years."

He looked back at the Face of Boe, then stood up to stand near Novice Hame, studying her.

"So the two of you stayed here," he said. "On your own, for all these years."

"We had no choice," she said.

He reached out, touching her shoulder gently. "Yes, you did."

"Save them, Doctor," Boe urged. "Save them."


	16. Gridlock Part 3

Rose sat in the silent car, staring despondently out the window at the thick fog.

"How much air's left?" Cheen asked.

"Two minutes," Milo reported hopelessly.

"The Doctor's out there," Rose said. "This…friend of mine. He'll think of something."

"Rose, no one's coming," Milo said.

"Yes, he will," Rose said confidently. "Long as he's still breathing, he'll come."

"He looked kind of nice," Cheen offered.

"You don't know the half of it," Rose said with a sigh.

"Are you and him…?" Cheen asked, trailing off. Rose simply looked at her, and the other woman nodded after a moment. "I never even asked," she said after another moment. "Where's home?"

"Oh…sort of everywhere," Rose said with a smile. "We live in this…this amazing box that's bigger on the inside, and we've got the whole universe as our back garden."

"Sounds nice," Cheen said, returning her smile.

"Yeah," she said.

"So, um, who is he, then?" Milo asked. "This Doctor?"

"He's...oh..." She trailed off. All this time, and she still didn't have an adequate way to explain the Doctor to someone. "He's the Doctor. He fixes things, everywhere, all the time. Makes the whole universe better. And the two of us...we'd rip apart heaven and Earth—or even New Earth—to get back to each other. Wouldn't be the first time."

"You make him sound like some sort of superhero," Milo said.

"Nah," she said. "Not a superhero. God, he'd hate hearing that. He's still got his faults and fallibilities, just like everyone else. But what he's also got is a brilliant mind, and courage enough to use it, even when the odds are stacked against him. You've got your faith, you've got your songs and your hymns. And I've got the Doctor."

The other two looked at her for a moment, then Milo nodded.

"Right," he said, turning the car back on.

"Systems back on line," the electronic voice said.

"Good luck," he said, glancing back at Rose.

"And you," she said.

With that, he shot forward again, attempting to duck and weave through the shrouded monsters outside their door.

oOoOo

The Doctor stared at a screen, his specs in place, as he tried to find the car Rose was in.

"Tell me, Doctor," came the voice of Boe. "Did Rose Tyler succeed in avoiding her fall?"

He whirled around, staring at the giant face. "How did you know about that?"

"I know a great many things you would not expect about yourself and Miss Tyler," he said.

The Doctor stared at him. That wasn't even possible. They'd only even met Boe twice before, and it didn't exactly seem like the type of thing she'd share. Especially considering she'd just come back the first time they met, and she was trapped in her own mind the second. But then, this was the Face of Boe, the living definition of enigmatic.

"Yeah," he said finally. "Yeah, she did. That's who I'm looking for, actually," he added, turning back to the screen.

"She is quite extraordinary," Boe said.

"Yeah, she is," the Doctor replied, not turning around.

"Enough so, perhaps, that she deserves a title other than your 'friend'," Boe added.

The Doctor stiffened, but didn't look up. "And what would you have me call her?"

"That emptiness you have, old friend, the one you ache to fill," Boe said. "It is not her limitations that keep you from being whole, but your own fear that keeps you from her still."

What was _that_ supposed to mean? Her body might be altered, but her mind...her mind was still that of an average human.

Right?

He heard the low chuckle from the Face of Boe and winced. "There has never been anything 'average' about Rose Tyler, Doctor."

"Oi," he said. "Out of my head."

He turned his focus back to the task at hand, and felt a wave of dizzy relief hit him when he found the car.

"Car Four Six Five Diamond Six—it still registers!" he cried happily. "That's Rose. Oh, that's my girl. Novice Hame, hold that in place," he said, jumping away from the monitors and handing her a thick piece of tubing. He ran along its length, hopping over a control box. "Think, think, think. Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity beds."

"There isn't enough power," Hame said.

"Ah, you've got power!" he said, reaching a control panel at the other end of the room. "You've got me! I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch. Hame, every switch on that bank, up to maximum!" he yelled, pointing at another panel before jumping to a console, spinning a knob as he worked his sonic screwdriver over it. "I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people."

"So what are you going to do?" Hame asked as he jumped up and ran for another long switch in the floor.

"This!" he cried, flipping it—and all the lights went out. "No, no no no no, no!" He darted over to another set of controls, waving the sonic screwdriver over it. "The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through."

"Doctor…" the Face of Boe said.

"Yeah, hold on, not now," he said impatiently.

"I give you my last…" Boe said, and let out a long, rasping breath. Every light in every console lit back up as power surged through the system. The Doctor leapt to his feet, glancing around.

"Hame, look after him!" he ordered. "Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this. The open road. Hah!" he cried as he flipped the switch again.

oOoOo

Martha had stared at the emergency hatch, stunned, long after Brannigan had stepped over and closed it. He'd said Rose wasn't and never had been "just" anything…but he'd risked so much, the choking fumes and dizzying heights between cars, just to get to her, after saying she was _everything_. That was a level of devotion Martha had never seen and couldn't wrap her mind around.

Once she'd moved past that, she was worried sick for all of them, herself included. If for some reason the Doctor couldn't get back...if something happened to him...she'd be stuck here. She'd never even thought about it before she'd followed him into his big blue box, and she barely even knew him. There was so much he never said, that neither of them ever said. Now her family would never even know if anything happened to her. Then the doors at the top of the motorway started crashing open, and she'd felt wary hope. She knew he was good...but he couldn't possibly be _that_ good. Then she saw him on the screen and shrieked with happiness.

"Sorry, no Sally Calypso," he said. "She was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor."

"He's a magician," Brannigan said in disbelief.

"He's the Doctor!" Martha cried.

"And this is an order," the Doctor continued on screen. "Everyone drive up. Right now."

"Is he serious?" Brannigan asked as Valerie laughed.

"Oh, he's serious," Martha said happily. "Completely mad, but completely serious. Do as he says!"

"I've opened the roof of the motorway," said the hologram. "Come on. Throttle those engines. Drive up. All of you, the whole under-city. Drive up, drive up, drive up! Fast!"

"Here we go," Brannigan said, opening the engines completely and driving up.

"We've got to clear that fast lane," the Doctor said. "Drive up and get out of the way."

oOoOo

Down in the fast lane, Milo was dodging claws and scrapes as much as possible while the whole car shuddered and lurched.

"Oi! Car Four Six Five Diamond Six!" the Doctor said on the screen suddenly. "Rose! Drive up!"

"That's the Doctor!" Rose cried happily.

"We can't go up!" Milo protested. "We'll hit the layer!"

"Just do as he says!" Rose ordered. "Drive up!"

"You've got access above!" the Doctor said on screen. "Now go!"

All three looked up as the car pulled free of the last of the fog, heading toward the opening in the roof, sunlight streaming down on them.

"I told you he was good," Rose said happily.

"It's daylight!" Cheen said in raptured disbelief. "Oh my God. That's the sky, the real sky!"

"Yep," Rose said, popping the 'p' and grinning madly as she threw an arm around each of them. "That's the Doctor. He makes things better."

oOoOo

"Did I tell you, Doctor?" Brannigan said over the transmitter. "You're not bad, sir. You're not bad at all!"

"You keep driving, Brannigan," he said, grinning as he watched it all from the screens. "All the way up! 'Cause it's here, just waiting for you." He danced over to the window, pulling the microphone with him. "The city of New New York. And it's yours. Oh, and you've got something of mine...you still there Martha Jones?"

"I'm here, Doctor!" he heard her cry and grinned.

"Right, my friend and my coat," he said. "I'll be needing those back, if you would be so kind."

"I reckon that's a fair bargain, sir," Brannigan said with a laugh.

"And Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, I've sent you a flight path as well," he said. "Come to the Senate."

"On my way!" he heard Rose call, and his smile softened to the one that was only for her.

"It's been quite a while since I saw you, Rose Tyler," he said softly around the lump in his throat.

"Doctor!" Hame called behind him, and he spun around to the glass case around the Face of Boe begin to crack.

oOoOo

Rose met Martha on the steps of the Senate, hugging her happily.

"I can't believe he left you his coat," she said with a giggle as they raced into the building. "He loves that coat."

"Yeah, so he said, a lot," Martha said with a grin.

Their laughter died as they entered the Senate and saw the grizzly scene inside. Rose was stunned that this beautiful city had come to this so quickly.

"Doctor?" Martha called.

"Over here," he called back.

"Doctor!" Rose said as the followed his voice. "What happened out there?"

They turned a corner, and Rose let out a gasp at the sight of the Face of Boe, lying amidst the shattered remains of his glass case. She hurried to kneel beside the Doctor, and his arm immediately went around her, pulling her close as he pressed a kiss to her hair.

"What's that?" Martha asked.

"It's the Face of Boe," the Doctor said, glancing back at her. "It's all right. Come and say hello. And this is Hame."

"What happened?" Rose whispered, tears filling her eyes as she thought of her dear old friend, back when he was young, his eyes a startling blue and his laugh infectious.

"He's the one that saved you, not me," the Doctor said.

"My lord gave his life to save the city," Hame said. "And now he's dying."

"No, don't say that," the Doctor said. "Not old Boe. Plenty of life left."

"It's good to breathe the air once more," Boe said. "And to see you again by his side, Rose Tyler. You truly do create yourself."

_Oh, Jack_, she thought miserably, sure that had he wanted the Doctor to know who he was, he would have said so himself. _I'm so sorry…for everything._

_Don't cry for me,_ he said in her mind. _I've been alive a long time, thanks to you. It's time I rested. But this isn't the end for you. We'll meet again…and we'll always have the Blitz._

"Who is he?" Martha asked as Rose reached out a hand and stroked Boe gently.

"I don't even know," the Doctor said softly. "Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now."

"Everything has its time," Boe said. "You know that, old friend, better than most."

"The legend says more," Hame said, and Rose looked up tearfully.

"Don't," the Doctor said. "There's no need for that."

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveler," she persisted.

"Yeah, but not yet," the Doctor said, a little desperately. "Who needs secrets, eh?"

"I have seen so much," Boe said. "Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind — as you are the last of yours, Doctor."

"That's why we have to survive," the Doctor said, his voice breaking. "Both of us. Don't go."

"I must," Boe said softly. "But know this, Time Lord. You are not alone."

Rose felt the Doctor freeze next to her as Boe's eyes closed. Tears streamed down her face and he pulled her close automatically, but she could see the stunned incomprehension on his face as Hame began to sob. After another moment, he stood, pulling her up with him and walking over to Martha to put an arm around her shoulders as well.

oOoOo

Brannigan met them outside the Senate, offering them a lift back to Pharmacy Town, which they gladly took. They made their way back to the alley where the TARDIS was parked in fairly pleasant moods, despite the sadness of Boe's passing…Brannigan tended to have that effect on people.

"You know, Doctor," Rose said, swinging their laced hands between them. "I think I need a sonic thingy of my own. I'm getting a little bored with this whole...damsel in distress routine."

"Oh...but you pull it off so well," the Doctor said with a small smile. "Eh…I'll think about it. I am going to have to do something about the phones though. Really, Rose, third time out, and it's in pieces."

"That wasn't my fault!" she said. "But I am sorry. I know you get...touchy when things go wrong."

"Touchy?" Martha asked incredulously. "Is _that _what that was? God, I'd hate to see you really angry then."

"Anyway," the Doctor said pointedly, pulling Rose around the corner as she laughed. He sauntered down the street the vendors were in, and found it deserted. "All closed down," he commented, looking around.

"Happy?" Martha asked.

"Happy happy," he said, stopping to inspect one of the empty stalls. "New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs — cats in charge! Come on, time we were off."

Martha stopped and watched them. Maybe she _had_ gotten everything wrong…he'd made that obvious. But they completely refused to offer her a clearer picture—of either of them. She'd gone into the blue box without looking back, and she still knew next to nothing about them. She'd met people who were private before, but these two were practically Swiss vaults, and she couldn't take it anymore.

"But what did he mean, the Face of Boe?" she asked, and he turned around, releasing Rose's hand. "'You're not alone'," she repeated.

"I don't know," he said, his face guarded.

"You've got me and Rose," she said with a smile as she stepped forward. "Is that what he meant?"

He exchanged a glance with Rose. No, that's not what he meant. But what he meant could only be a lie.

"I don't think so," he said. "Sorry."

"Then what?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter," he said, turning away. "Back to the TARDIS, off we go." He touched the small of Rose's back, heading back for the TARDIS, but heard the scrape of a chair behind him. He stopped and turned again. "All right, you staying?"

"'Till you talk to me properly, yes," she said, sitting with her arms and legs crossed. "He said 'last of your kind.' What does that mean?"

"It really doesn't matter," he said.

"You don't talk," she said, annoyed and exasperated. "You never say! Why not?"

"Hold on," Rose said, stepping forward with a stormy expression. "You've known him, what, three days? And you were only offered _a_ trip. What do you think gives the right to sit there and demand answers from him like that?"

"And you!" she cried, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward. "I don't get it. I was so sure I had you pegged, just some estate girl who lucked into all of this, but then you and him talk and it's like you're in your own little world. What does it mean when you say you're mostly human, or that you 'create yourself'? And how come you seem to know everything about him, but I can't even get a simple answer for how long you've been travelling together? And why...I mean, he just changed a whole city, maybe a whole planet, just to get you back. For the better, I'll grant you, but...who does that?"

Around them, music began to swell. Rose and Martha both looked up.

"We do," the Doctor said softly as the song of the city washed over them. "I don't know that you could fully comprehend the lengths that we would—and have—gone to for each other." He sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. "Rose knows more about me than anyone, without a doubt. But she's also all I've got—the only person that I can have any sort of hope will still be with me long after you've gone home, after you and everyone you know have lived out your lives and passed on into a memory."

"What about other Time Lords?" she asked.

He looked at her steadily for a moment. It wouldn't kill either of them to give her something. Not everything, mind…not even Rose got _everything _about him. It still hurt to talk about anything with someone other than Rose…but not nearly as much as it might have _before_ Rose. He could offer Martha something.

He walked over and pulled up a chair for Rose, then one for himself. Rose, as usual, knew what he was doing before he spoke, and had a hand on his shoulder as soon as he sat down, leaning on his knees and clasping his hands in front of him.

"There are no other Time Lords," he said quietly. "I can't take you to my planet because it's gone. They all died. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else."

"What happened to them?" Martha asked hesitantly.

He looked down at his hands, and could almost still see the blood on them. How to tell another innocent girl about the monster he was?

"There was a war," Rose said softly, and he looked up at her. "One that no one could win. And no one did. The Doctor survived…but no one else did. His planet, his people…they were destroyed."

Martha stared at the two people in front of her as the Doctor lowered his head to stare at his hands once more. Here was this great, powerful, brilliant man, head bowed against the weight of a pain she couldn't even imagine—and the girl she'd assumed was a simple Estate girl was still there, unflinching, supporting him. She caught sight again of the necklace Rose wore, the strangely scarred looking heart on either side of a key.

_Two hearts_, she thought suddenly, staring at them. And he'd given them to Rose, after whatever tragedy took everything else from him.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, apologizing now for everything—the petty jealousy, the demands for painful answers, the assumptions that were so completely wrong. The Doctor looked up at her and smiled gently.

"You should have seen it, that old planet," he said softly. "The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song…"

She listened as the last of the Time Lords spoke in a hushed voice. He didn't talk about the war, or how he'd survived, or the people that had perished. Just described, in heartbreaking detail, the home he'd lost, the one he'd never see again, as the city sang it's song of hope and renewal around them.


	17. Homeward Bound

_** This is short, I know. Forgive me. But holy cats, THREE HUNDRED reviews? You guys...are awesome. I cannot say that enough. Thanks so much for the continued support!**_

**oOoOo**

When they finally made it back onboard the TARDIS on New Earth, the Doctor said she would need a few minutes in the Vortex to recalibrate before they could take Martha home, and gave the girl permission to explore to her heart's content until that time. Rose watched her wander away with a thoughtful expression on her face. She wasn't surprised…the information she had managed to procure took a while to process.

"So what do you think he meant?" Rose asked after a moment. "The Face of Boe?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Like I told Martha, I don't know."

"But he made it sound like—"

"I know," the Doctor said, cutting her off and looking down at the console. "I was there. It doesn't change anything."

"You're sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes," he said shortly, moving around the console.

"Is there any way someone could—"

"Can we just leave it, Rose?" he asked, looking up at her. "Just once? Can we please let something go without dissecting it and analyzing it? Because let me tell you, I have a considerable mind. I looked at that little declaration from a dozen different angles seconds after he said it, and it still means nothing. I told you before, I'd know if there was anyone left, in here," he said, tapping the side of his head. "But I don't. It's empty. As empty as it has been since the moment their screams finally stopped. As empty as it always will be. There's no one to fill it, and no one can change that, no matter what that giant face claimed about _anything_. So do me a favor: just forget he said anything and leave it alone."

He said all this with increasing bitterness, more than she'd seen in a long time, until the last words were spit out at her as he looked back down at the console, fidgeting with the controls distractedly. She stared at him for a moment, unsure what to say or do, but suddenly furious with the Face of Boe, or Jack, or whoever the hell he was. He ripped open one of the Doctor's deepest wounds, without justification or explanation, and then just _died_, which he wasn't supposed to be able to do anyway.

If she saw him again, which sounded likely, she was going to throttle him, whatever form he was in.

"Okay," she said finally. "Alright. Leaving it alone."

She stepped over to him wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. She felt his sigh before his hand came up to hold her arms, squeezing gently.

"Thank you," he said quietly, then twisted around to face her, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I do wish there was something I could do for you, though," she said softly, leaning her head against his chest, surprised when she felt him stiffen again.

"You can't," he said roughly.

"I know," she said.

"No, really, you can't," he said, pulling away and frowning down at her. She stared back, confused at the sudden intensity in his eyes, mixed with…something else.

"Alright," she said. "That's not going to stop me from wishing I could."

He looked down at her for another moment, his eyes dark and full of some war she didn't understand. Then he took a deep breath and swallowed, his eyes clearing a little as he brought a hand up to her cheek.

"I know that," he said softly. "You wouldn't be Rose Tyler if you didn't wish for impossible things."

"Not just me," she said with a smile. "The Doctor and Rose Tyler, wishing for the impossible every day…sometimes even achieving it."

"Sometimes," he said, sounding sad as he leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "However, for the moment, I think we should remain in the realm of possibility…at least long enough to return Miss Jones to the _relative_ peace of her home and family."

"Were they really that bad?" Rose asked, remembering something he said about seeing a family feud in the street.

"Eh, I dunno," he said slowly. "Might have just been a bad night. Or…Martha may be the one caught in the crossfire quite a lot more than she should be. Domestics," he added, pulling a face.

Rose chuckled and shook her head. "Alright, well, you…do your thing. I'll go find Martha."

The Doctor watched her go, his mind tortured by the two lies he'd heard within an hour of each other. He honestly didn't know which one hurt more right now—the idea that there might be someone else out there, or that he could actually have the impossible with Rose. He couldn't even bring himself to tell her about the latter…just having to explain it, why they could never have that, why he still had to keep part of himself from her would be painful. He knew that somehow, she'd make it her fault, and he couldn't take that. He just had to keep dealing with the ache. As for the other lie…he couldn't even think about it. It was too easy to hope, to wonder, to believe that there was someone left, who it could be…whether maybe Romana…or…Susan…

He shook his head. It would do him no good to consider things that couldn't exist. He pushed both to some dark, easily forgotten corner of his mind as he turned back to the console.

oOoOo

Martha was out on the Powell Estate balcony when Rose found her. The other girl joined her, leaning again the railing and staring out at the simulated horizon for a moment.

"You alright?" she asked finally.

"Yeah," Martha said, then looked at her. "I guess I just wasn't expecting…that. I mean, he always seems so cheerful and happy…"

"I think that's probably why he does that," Rose mused. "Partially, anyway. He wants people to believe that he's in control and happy, because then they won't ask questions. He doesn't want pity for something that can't be changed, or for people to try to understand something they can't. Although…I do like to think that he's genuinely happy sometimes."

Martha was quiet for a moment, pondering this. She had a feeling now that if the Doctor was ever genuinely happy…it was because of Rose.

"So what about you?" she asked finally.

"What about me?"

"Well, he explained the whole…last of his kind…thing," she said slowly. "So what about you? Mostly human? Create yourself? Will still be around after I've 'passed on into memory'?"

Rose looked at her carefully, then laughed, shaking her head. "You really don't give up, do you?"

"I'm going home anyway," Martha said reasonably with a shrug. "What have I got to lose by asking another question before we land?"

"Oh…fair point," Rose said, leaning back while holding on to the railing. "Well…we got…separated. A while back…god, seems like forever ago. Anyway. I took some…extreme measures to get back to him, and it led to a few…unexpected side-effects. One of which is that I don't age. And I'm not going to die for a long, long time."

"What extreme measures?" Martha asked, now curious beyond reasonable restraint.

Rose gave her a sideways glance as she straightened, leaning on the railing again. "Honestly? I ripped open the TARDIS so I could look into the Time Vortex and _temporarily_ control time and space."

"…Wasn't that…I dunno…really dangerous?" Martha asked, stunned.

"Extremely," she said. "Should've died. But, if I hadn't done it, he would've died. So…no real choice, was there?"

Martha stared at her in shock. Neither of them knew the meaning of the word "impossible" apparently. _Just an Estate girl, indeed,_ she thought, shaking her head.

"God, he wasn't kidding," she said aloud.

"Nope," Rose said. "All or nothing, that's us."

"And you really live like that…all the time?" Martha asked.

"Nah, not all the time," Rose said, then smiled. "Trouble's just the bits in between. There's a whole universe out there, full of amazing things and people, and it's worth the…battles, just to be able to see all that, to _live_ all that. And being able to do all that with the Doctor…well…I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I'm sorry," Martha said after a moment, and Rose turned and looked at her. "For…for the way I acted back there, and for…the way I misjudged you."

Rose studied her for a moment, then nodded. "It's alright. We're good. I'm sorry, too...I really shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I've kind of forgotten what it's like outside the Doctor's bubble. It's frustrating when you can't get straight answers about anything."

"Something tells me you never had a problem with that," Martha said.

"Oh…never say never, ever," she replied quickly. "But you and I are two very different people with two _vastly_ different experiences with the Doctor. Don't compare yourself to me. You'll just drive us both mad. Just be you."

"You know…I'm not totally sure who that is," Martha said suddenly. Without having the play the part of dutiful daughter or family counselor or perfect student, she felt a bit lost.

"You're Martha Jones," Rose said with a grin. "And you're brilliant. Anyway, we should get back before he comes looking for us, cause it's never fun to see a Time Lord whine. Trust me."

Martha laughed, then followed her out into the corridor thoughtfully.


	18. The Lazarus Experiment Part 1

_**Okay, before you freak out, yes I changed the order, but it'll be okay. The Daleks will still happen. I just didn't think, given the current climate with the travelling trio, that anyone would be keen on another detour just yet. So this one is coming first.**_

_**Also...holy cow, you guys...so many PMs yesterday asking if I was alright, whether my computer had died, whether *I* had died...I have a monster cold and was hopped up on way too many drugs yesterday to trust myself to post, but good to know it'll be noticed if I suddenly fall off the face of the planet :)**_

**oOoOo**

"Ah, lovely!" the Doctor said as the two girls entered the console room. "Perfect timing. Recalibration complete, off we go. First stop, London, Earth…flat of one Martha Jones." The TARDIS gave a thump as it landed, and the Doctor grinned. "There we go…perfect landing, which isn't easy in such a tight spot."

"Home then?" Martha asked hesitantly, her mind still on the conversation she'd had with Rose.

"The end of the line," the Doctor said gently. "No place like it."

She stood and walked slowly out the door into her flat, noting with some pleasure that they'd followed her. At least she was going to get a proper goodbye, not just them disappearing again.

"How long has it been?" she asked.

"Only about 12 hours," the Doctor said. "No time at all, really."

"You sure?" Rose asked innocently. "I mean…I know how easy it is to mix up the months and the hours…"

"One time!" he cried, turning to her. "That happened _one time_."

"My mum thought I was dead," Rose said evenly, and Martha's eyes widened in horror. "And that Mickey was a murderer."

"Yeah…and I got _slapped_, and was accused of being some sort of…some sort of online _predator_," the Doctor said, turning from her again to wander around Martha's living room. "So I think I've already been fitly punished for that _accident_ already."

Rose giggled, and Martha stared at her.

"You two are...so strange," she said finally.

"That's us," the Doctor said with a wink and a grin.

"But…it really has only been twelve hours?" she asked after a moment. "All that stuff we did…Shakespeare, New New York…"

"_Yes_, Martha," the Doctor said firmly. "I promise. All happened in one night—relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was—books, CDs…laundry," he added, nodding at the drying rack with an arched eyebrow before turning to her pictures. Rose smiled as Martha snatched some of the more…intimate items off the rack. "So, back where you were, as promised."

"This is it?" Martha asked, looking between them.

The Doctor took a deep breath, touching Rose's back. "Yeah, we should probably…um…"

He trailed off, glancing at the phone as it rang and the ansaphone picked up.

"I'm sorry," Martha said as she heard her mum's voice come out of the speaker. "It's Mum. It'll wait."

They nodded, quiet while the message played out.

"All right then, pretend that you're out if you like," the voice of Martha's mum continued, and the Doctor smiled. "I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested."

"How could Tish end up on the news?" Martha asked, picking up the remote and frowning as she turned on the television. The other two moved to stand by her and watch.

"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device…" an elderly man was saying at a press conference, and Martha saw her sister standing just behind his right shoulder.

"She's got a new job," she explained to Rose and the Doctor. "PR for some research lab."

"…with the push of a single button," the man continued, "I will change what it means to be human."

Martha shook her head and switched off the TV, turning back to the pair, who were still frowning at the box.

"Sorry," she said. "You were saying you should…?"

"Yes…" the Doctor said distractedly, then shook himself and looked up at her. "Yes, we should. One trip is what we said."

"Yeah," Martha said. "I suppose things just kind of…escalated."

"That happens to us a lot," Rose said with a grin before stepping forward to hug her. Martha froze in surprise for a moment before hugging her back with a bemused smile. "Be brilliant," she said.

"Thanks," she said, then turned to the Doctor. "Really, thank you. For everything."

"It was my pleasure," he said with a smile before ushering Rose into the TARDIS and closing the door behind him.

Martha stepped back as the engines groaned, watching as the TARDIS dematerialized. She took a deep breath and looked around. It was strange how everything still looked so…ordinary…after the days she'd been through. She sighed and turned to the bedroom, intending to change, but spun around again when the sound of the TARDIS engines filled the room again. The Doctor's head popped out as soon as it rematerialized.

"No, I'm sorry," he said. "Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"

Once Martha got over the shock of them being back, she made some quick phone calls to find out exactly what was happening. Apparently, the man's name was Richard Lazarus, and he was going to be holding some sort of demonstration that night during a lavish party at his labs. Because of Tish, Martha was invited, and the Doctor promptly invited himself and Rose along. Rose pulled Martha deeper into the TARDIS and showed her the Wardrobe, grinning while the other girl stared in amazement at the options available. In the end, she decided to wear something she already had, but did agree to take advantage of the amazing vanity available to do her hair and makeup.

"Can I ask you something, Martha?" Rose asked as they worked on themselves in the mirrors.

"Suppose," Martha said. "I've asked you enough lately."

"Your family," Rose said slowly, cutting her eyes over to the girl. "The night the Doctor picked you up…are they always like that?"

"He told you about that, huh?" Martha said warily, then shrugged. "I suppose. I mean, when Mum and Dad get together, it usually turns into…something like that."

"That's too bad," Rose said with a frown. "Must be hard being the neutral party in all that."

"Sometimes," Martha said with a shrug. "But that's just…family, you know?"

"Not really," Rose admitted. "Just Mum and me when I was growing up, and when she did get married…god, they were just ridiculously happy. Like, almost made you nauseous to be around them happy."

"Kind of like you and the Doctor?" Martha asked with a sly grin.

"Oh, god no," Rose said with a laugh. "He and I drive each other up the wall sometimes. But…we always know we've got each other, no matter how crazy we make each other. Which, I guess, is kind of what you were saying. Things you put up with for family. I guess I just hate the idea that you might be missing out on life because you're busy putting out fires that your family started."

Martha shrugged, unsure what else to say. That wasn't entirely accurate…but it was probably more so than she felt comfortable with. She wasn't sure when the last time she'd actually done something for herself before following the Doctor into the TARDIS. That, she vowed, needed to change, now that she was back home.

oOoOo

The Doctor frowned at the monitor as he tied his bow tie, watching the press conference for Lazarus again. Whatever this man was planning, he was reasonably certain it wasn't going to be good. A statement like that couldn't be made lightly, and if it was too dangerous, he'd have to put a stop to it. He sighed. Just once, he'd like to be able to wear his tux and not end up in mortal danger. He somehow doubted that tonight would be that night.

He looked up when he heard the voices of the girls coming down the corridor and flipped off the monitor, making an impatient noise as Martha entered the console room, looking gussied up in a purple flowey dress. Then he saw Rose and stopped breathing completely.

She was wearing a strappy dress that left one of her shoulders bare, ending a couple of inches above her knee and, amazingly, nearly matched the TARDIS in the shade of blue. It was gathered and rusched asymmetrically, fitting gloriously to her curves and adding interesting textures that he would dearly love to run his tactile fingers over, and had silver beaded accents across her shoulder and hip that caught the eye when she moved. She smiled at him and spun, and he swallowed hard when he saw the way the strap cut away in the back to reveal the smooth skin of her back. Together with the matching heels that strapped around her ankles, the low side bun, and the various pieces of jewelry he'd given her, she created a look that was slightly funky, very classy, and dead sexy all at the same time.

"You like it?" she asked, grinning at him.

"Rose...that's not a dress," he said, tugging at his collar and arching an eyebrow as he stepped closer. "That's a scandal. How am I going to concentrate on what's happening tonight with you looking like that?"

"Oh...well...I could change..." she offered, though without much sincerity.

"Don't you dare," he said in a low voice, reaching out to tug her closer as his eyes raked over her again. "You look stunning, Rose."

"Not so bad yourself," she teased with a grin before he leaned down to kiss her.

"Yes, you both look amazing," Martha said impatiently after a moment, and Rose pulled away, licking her lips with a smile. "But as lovely as all this is, we do have somewhere to be."

"Right you are, Martha Jones," the Doctor said, straightening with a sigh. "Festivities await. Allons-y!"

They took a taxi to the lab, the Doctor making the executive decision that technology that actually _could_ change what it meant to be human would probably be best kept away in Martha's flat. The taxi dropped them off a block away from the party, and they walked toward it together, the Doctor fussing with his cuffs.

"Oh, black tie," he said with a frown. "Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens."

"It's not the outfit, that's just you," Martha said, shaking her head and Rose grinned. "Anyway, I think it suits you. In a James Bond kind of way."

"James Bond?" he asked in derision, pulling a face, then seemed to consider it as he turned to Rose. "Really? Hold on, does that mean—"

"No, I'm not going to be Miss Moneypenny, so you can let go of that thought right now," Rose said, holding up a hand. Martha snickered at his pout, while Rose simply rolled her eyes.

They chatted happily as they approached the grand entrance to the lab, but Martha slowed to a stop before reaching the doors.

"What's the matter?" the Doctor asked, turning to watch her.

"Well, I only get a plus one, don't I?" she said. "How am I supposed to get you both in?"

"I wouldn't worry about that," the Doctor said, fishing the psychic paper out of his pocket. "I'm very good at crashing parties."

He winked and waved her in front of them, and she cast a last uncertain look before approaching the door man. She needn't have worried. The Doctor flashed the paper confidently, and used every ounce of charisma and charm he possessed as he explained that they had received a last minute invitation from Lazarus himself, an explanation that was smoothed over nicely by the stunning blonde on his arm smiling prettily at the door man. The Doctor thanked him as they were waved through, and Martha shook her head.

"You know that probably wouldn't have worked nearly as well without Rose," she said quietly.

"Very little does," he replied, looking around and spotting a waiter with a tray of hors d'oeuvres. "Oh, look, they've got nibbles! I love nibbles!"

"One of the most powerful men in the universe everybody," Rose said with a laugh, but he just grinned at her. "Right, I'm going to get some champagne and…mingle. Back in a tick."

The Doctor nodded, his eyes getting a little glazed as he watched her walk away. Martha rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs as her sister joined them.

"You look great," Tish said after they'd greeted each other and hugged. "So, what do you think? Impressive, isn't it?"

"Very," she said, nodding as she looked around the room again.

"And two nights out in a row for you," Tish said. "That's dangerously close to a social life."

"If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns," Martha said with a smile.

"You might, actually," Tish agreed. "Keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum—she's coming too, even dragging Leo along with her."

"Leo in black tie?" Martha asked incredulously. "That I must see." She saw Tish glance to the side, and looked up to see the Doctor watching them with a bemused smile. "Oh, this is, uh, the Doctor."

"Hello," he said, grinning widely as he shook her hand.

"Is he with you?" Tish asked.

"Um...sort of," she hedged.

"But he's not on the list," Tish said. "How did he get in?"

"Oh…I'm very good with lists," the Doctor said evasively. "So, this Lazarus bloke, he's your boss?"

"Professor Lazarus, yes," Tish said, drawing herself up importantly. "I'm part of his executive staff."

"She's in the PR department," Martha said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm head of the PR department, actually," Tish said as the Doctor arched a brow.

"You're joking," Martha said, stunned.

"I put this whole thing together," she said importantly.

"So, um, do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight?" the Doctor asked, glancing between them and attempting to steer the conversation to something more pertinent and less uncomfortable. "That looks like it might be a sonic microfield manipulator."

"He's a science geek," Tish said, eyeing him. "I should've known. Gotta get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later."

"Science geek?" the Doctor asked as she walked away. "What does that mean?"

"That your obsessively enthusiastic about it," Martha said with a smile.

"Oh," he said, considering this, then smiled. "Nice."

She shook her head, then heard her mother's voice calling her. She turned, and everything from the last few days crashed through her, every moment of fear and uncertainty that seemed to fill the lives of the Doctor and Rose. It had just been a few hours ago that she'd been in Brannigan's car, wondering if the Doctor was going to make it back for her, and there was Francine Jones, in all her Earth-bound glory. Martha practically sprinted to her, throwing her arms around her.

"Oh!" Francine said in happy surprise as she returned Martha's embrace. "All right, what's the occasion?"

"What do you mean?" Martha asked. "I'm just pleased to see you, that's all."

"You saw me last night," her mum reminded her.

"I know," Martha said, trying to cover up her exuberant reaction. "I just…miss you. You're looking good, Leo," she added, turning to her younger brother.

"Yeah," Leo snorted. "If anyone asks me to fetch 'em a drink, I'll swing for him."

"You disappeared last night," Francine said slowly as Martha smiled.

"I...just went home," she said.

"On your own?" her mum asked, glancing meaningfully behind her.

"This is a friend of mine, the Doctor," Martha said hurriedly pulling him forward.

"Doctor what?" Francine asked suspiciously as the Doctor shook Leo's hand.

"No, it's just the Doctor," Martha said. "We've been doing some work together."

"Lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones," the Doctor said, shaking her hand. "Heard a lot about you."

"Have you?" Francine asked, clearly doubting this. "What have you heard, then?"

"Oh, you know, that you're Martha's mother," the Doctor stammered, looking caught out. "And…um… No, actually, that's…that's about it. We haven't had much time to chat, you know, been busy."

"Busy?" Francine asked. "Doing what, exactly?"

"Martha's been helping us with some research into medical practices of the 16th century," said a voice behind the Doctor. Martha decided then and there that Rose was her new best friend as she stepped around the Doctor and saved them all from death by awkwardness. "With some deviation into the possibilities that will be available in the distant future. Hello, I'm Rose Tyler," she added, holding out her hand.

"Francine Jones," the older woman said, eyeing Rose. A tapping on the glass signaling for attention stopped her from saying anything else, however, and Martha breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," she said quietly to Rose.

"He's rubbish with mums," the other girl said, shaking her head. The Doctor frowned at them, but apparently decided not to comment. He crossed his arms as Lazarus made his way to the podium in front of the stark white cabinet that dominated the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the elderly man said to the crowd. "I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I'm going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you'll awake to a world which will be changed forever."

He entered the cabinet, and technicians began working on a bank of instruments to the side of it. There was a high pitched whirring sound as the four pillars around the cabinet began to spin individually around the cabinet, creating some sort of energy field as their pace picked up. The speed kept increasing, however, and an alarm sounded from the controls.

"Something's wrong," the Doctor said. "It's overloading."

He sprinted to the controls, vaulting over a low desk as panels began to explode into sparks. He flicked on his sonic, running it over the machinery as he worked furiously at the controls, trying to restore some kind of balance to the device.

"Somebody stop him!" a woman shouted near the front of the crowd. "Get him away from those controls!"

"If this thing goes off, it'll take the whole building with it!" he shouted. "Is that what you want?"

He finally gave up working with the controls, scrambling over the desk again and simply pulling one of the main cables connecting the cabinet and machinery. Rose and Martha darted up to the cabinet as the pillars came to a halt.

"Get it open!" the Doctor shouted as he joined them.

Rose managed to wrench the door free and took a hurried step back as smoke billowed out of the cabinet. After a moment, through the smoke, a man appeared. All eyes in the room widened as a tall, dapper man in his mid-thirties stepped shakily from the cabinet, looking at his hands and touch his face uncertainly. As he grew more accustomed to his appearance, he smiled, spreading his arms wide in a gesture of triumph.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus," he said. "I am 76 years old and I am reborn!"

After another moment basking in accolades, Lazarus moved into the crowd, chatting and taking pictures with amazed guests. The Doctor and Rose moved around the cabinet, examining various parts of the device.

"It can't be the same guy," Martha said, watching Lazarus. "It's impossible. It must be a trick."

"Oh, it's not a trick," the Doctor said, frowning as he studied a pillar. "I wish it were."

"What just happened, then?" Martha asked.

The Doctor took a deep breath, looking at Lazarus. "He just changed what it means to be human."

"But, wait, hold on," Martha said, turning around to the other two. "Isn't that sort of what Rose did? Changed what it meant to be human, living longer?"

"Completely different circumstance," the Doctor said quickly, crouching down by the pillar. "_And_ an accident," he added, glancing up at Martha briefly.

"This was all ego and vanity," Rose murmured, running a hand over the cabinet and frowning. "And, really, pretty impossible. This sort of technology shouldn't even exist, much less in this century."

"Good point," the Doctor said, rising again. "So how'd he come up with it, hmm? I think…it might be time for a chat with our gracious host."

"Who's that he's talking to?" Martha asked as they climbed down from the platform, nodding to the elderly woman now talking to Lazarus.

"That's Lady Thaw," Rose said quietly. "Apparently, she's a rich old biddy who has a habit on backing anyone with schemes to revive and rejuvenate...or at least rejuvenate her bank account." The Doctor arched a brow. "What? I said I was mingling."

As they approached, Lady Thaw cried out, aghast, as Lazarus picked up a passing tray of hors d'oeuvres, popping them into his mouth quickly.

"I'm famished," he said, still eating.

"Energy deficit," the Doctor told him calmly as they stepped around him. "Always happens with this kind of process."

"You speak as if you see this every day," Lazarus said, eyeing the Doctor. "Mr…?"

"Doctor," he corrected. "And, well, no, not every day, but I have some experience in this kind of transformation."

"That's not possible," Lazarus said with a condescending smirk.

"Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance," the Doctor said without blinking. "That's—that's inspired."

"You understand the theory, then," Lazarus said, studying him carefully.

"Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables," the Doctor said.

"No experiment is entirely without risk," Lazarus said dismissively.

"Risk?" Rose asked in disbelief. "That thing nearly exploded. Never mind that you may as well have stepped into a blender, you nearly took the whole place down with you."

"You're not qualified to comment," Lady Thaw said, eyeing her distastefully.

"Yeah? And what's you _expert_ analysis then?" Rose said acidly.

"If I hadn't stopped it, it would have exploded," the Doctor cut in.

"Then I thank you, Doctor," Lazarus said. "But that's a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less."

"You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests," Martha said.

"Look at me!" Lazarus said with a laugh. "You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need."

"This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially," Lady Thaw said, in an attempt to reassure them, but all three stared at her in horror.

"You're gonna try to mass market this death trap?" Rose asked.

"You are joking," Martha said, shaking her head. "That'll cause chaos."

"Not chaos," Lazarus said. "Change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve."

"This isn't about improving," the Doctor spat. "It's about you and your customers living a little longer."

"Not a little longer, Doctor," Lazarus said. "A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely."

"Richard, we have things to discuss," Lady Thaw interjected with a distasteful glance at the three. "Upstairs."

"Goodbye, Doctor," Lazarus said as he moved past them to follow Lady Thaw, who was already walking away. He stopped after a few steps and turned back. "In a few years, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were."

He moved to take Rose's hand, but she simply stared back at him coldly. He smirked and held a hand out to Martha instead, and she shook it automatically, but pulled a face when he brought it up to his lips for a kiss before releasing her and walking away.

"Ooh, he's out of his depth," the Doctor said. "No idea of the damage he might have done."

"Well," Rose said, looking around. "This building should be full of labs, yeah? What's to stop us from doing our own tests?"

"Especially since I've just collected a DNA sample," Martha said, holding up her hand with a smile.

The Doctor looked between the two women and smiled. "Oh...you two, you're stars."


	19. The Lazarus Experiment Part 2

_**Huge congratulations to Peter Capaldi on becoming the 12**__**th**__** Doctor! So excited to see what he will bring to the table.**_

**oOoOo**

They found a vacant lab and quickly set to work analyzing the DNA sample on Martha's hand.

"Amazing," the Doctor breathed, staring at the DNA diagram on the screen.

"What?" Martha asked, trying to see what he was seeing.

"Lazarus's DNA," the Doctor said.

"I can't see anything different," Rose said, peering over his shoulder. He made an irritated noise and pulled her around so their position was flipped, with her in front of the monitor.

"Look at it!" he said excitedly as the image flickered and the diagram was altered.

"Oh, my God!" Rose said, straightening in surprise. "Did that just change?"

"But it can't have!" Martha cried, leaning closer and staring at it incredulously.

"But it did," the Doctor assured her.

"It's impossible," Martha said.

"And that's two impossible things we've seen tonight," he replied with a smile. "Don't you love it when that happens?"

"That means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns," Martha said, stunned.

"Hypersonic sound waves to destabilize the cell structure then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands," the Doctor said rapid fire.

"So, what, he hacked into his own genes?" Rose asked when he took a breath, and he stared at her. "Gave them orders to regenerate or restore themselves?"

He beamed at her. "That, Rose Tyler, is exactly what he did. But that in itself isn't the problem. Well, not the big problem…"

"Because they're still mutating now," Martha said.

The Doctor nodded. "He missed something. Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilize. Something that's trying to change him."

"Change him into what?" she asked.

"I dunno," he said, pulling in a breath. "But I think we need to find out."

"Lady Thaw said they were going upstairs," Rose said.

"Let's go," the Doctor urged, ushering them both toward the door.

"So, what was it about what Rose did that makes her…situation so different?" Martha asked as they made their way to the lift.

"Well...her change was a byproduct of exposure to the Time Vortex," the Doctor explained after a quick glance at Rose and a nod from her. "Basically, it hit the fast forward button on human evolution—well, what human evolution would look like had you lot evolved on my home planet."

"But then why didn't she scan as human?" Martha asked, following them into the lift. "The Judoon scanner said unknown species."

"It did?" Rose asked, looking up sharply.

"Um…yeah," the Doctor said, looking down at her warily. "Well, she's new. No data on her. If someone scanned you, Martha, but their record of evolution only went as far as apes, you'd come up unknown too."

"Oh my god," Rose said, pointedly avoiding everyone's gaze.

"Right," Martha said, blinking. "Yeah. Thanks for…clearing that up."

"You're welcome," he said with a grin. Then he stopped and noticed their reactions. "Wait, that's not…that's not what I meant."

"No, it's alright," Martha said as Rose shook her head. "We're just apes compared to your _amazing_ super-girlfriend. That's fine."

"Oh…blimey," the Doctor said as they stepped out of the lift, watching as both girls exchanged a look and choked on fits of giggles.

"I'm really sorry, Martha," Rose said, shaking her head at the Doctor. "For someone so brilliant and charming, he is remarkably bad at phrasing things sometimes," she added, and the Doctor merely frowned at her, looking decidedly uncomfortable.

Martha shook her head and made her way down the hall to the one spacious room on the level.

"This is his office, all right," she said as the Doctor turned on the lights.

"So, where is he?" the Doctor asked, looking around.

"Dunno," Martha said.

"Doctor," Rose said hurriedly, pulling him over to the desk. Martha looked closer and saw the reason for her distress: a pair of skeletal legs was showing from behind the desk wearing high heels. She rushed over with them to see the remains of a woman that looked almost mummified.

"Is that Lady Thaw?" she asked, fighting the nausea that was overtaking her.

"It was," Rose said quietly as her and the Doctor bent over the corpse.

"Just a shell now," the Doctor said. "Had all the life energy drained out. Like squeezing the juice out of an orange."

"Lazarus," Rose and Martha said together.

"Could be," the Doctor said, glancing at them.

"So he's changed already," Martha said.

"Not necessarily," he said. "You saw the DNA. It was fluctuating. The process must demand energy. This might not have been enough."

"So he might do this again?" Rose asked, horrified. She met the Doctor's eyes and they sprang to their feet, all three bolting for the lift. They jiggled impatiently as they made their way back down to the reception, moving quickly through the room as they scanned for Lazarus.

"I can't see him," Martha said.

"He can't be far," the Doctor said, striding ahead of her, touching Rose's hand and pointing in one direction. She nodded and moved in the other. "Keep looking."

"Hey, you all right, Martha?" Leo asked, stopping her as the Doctor moved off in the direction he'd indicated. "I think Mum wants to talk to you."

"Have you seen Lazarus anywhere?" she asked quickly, still looking around.

"Yeah," Leo said, surprised at her urgency. "He was getting cozy with Tish a couple of minutes ago."

"With Tish?" Martha cried as Rose and the Doctor approached again, as well as her mother.

"Ah, Doctor," Francine started, but was ignored by everyone.

"Where did they go?" the Doctor asked quickly.

"Upstairs I think," Leo said, confused. "Why?"

"Doctor—" Francine started again, but he was already brushing past her with Rose, spilling her drink as he did. "I'm speaking to you!" she called after them.

"Not now, Mum!" Martha said, rushing after them.

Francine watched her daughter run after the Doctor and his little sidekick with trepidation as she wiped herself down with a napkin. Martha could be so much, showed so much promise, out of all of them. She'd never reach that high mark if she was distracted by the opposite sex now. Just look at Leo, already tangled into something because of the baby. And of all the men…this Doctor bloke was sure to break her heart, just like Martha's father had broken hers. He even came preloaded with a little blonde chav. He would break her and leave her, and she'd never be able to fulfill her potential.

"I think you need one of these," a man's voice spoke, and she looked up to see a handsome man in a tux holding out a fresh glass of champagne.

"Thank you," she said stiffly, taking the glass. "That's very kind of you."

"Do you know that man?" he asked, looking in the direction they'd run off.

"No," she said, frowning. "He's…a friend of my daughter's."

"Perhaps she should choose her friends more carefully," the man said before turning away.

Francine watched him walk away, then looked again in the direction her daughter had disappeared. Now she was certain that this Doctor was dangerous for Martha, possibly in more ways than one.

oOoOo

They'd gone upstairs to find Lazarus's office deserted, but the Doctor had used his sonic screwdriver to pick up the man's fluctuating DNA's energy signature, pointing them to the roof. They'd torn up the steps, but the Doctor stopped them before reaching the open door, a finger on his lips as he signaled for quiet before creeping out onto the rooftop and standing tall behind Lazarus, the girls flanking him.

"I find that nothing's ever exactly like you expect," Lazarus was saying to Tish. "There's always something to surprise you. 'Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act—'"

"'Falls the shadow'," the Doctor quoted softly, announcing their presence.

Lazarus turned to them, surprised but quick to compose himself. "So the mysterious Doctor knows his Eliot. I'm impressed."

"Martha, what are you doing here?" Tish whispered tersely.

"Tish, get away from him," Martha urged.

"What?" Tish asked. "Don't tell me what to do."

"I wouldn't have thought you had time for poetry, Lazarus," the Doctor drawled. "What with you being busy defying the laws of nature and all."

"You're right, Doctor," Lazarus said. "One lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more would I get done in two or three or four?"

"Doesn't work like that," the Doctor said. "Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that mattes; it's the person."

"But if it's the right person," Lazarus said. "What a gift that would be."

"Or what a curse," the Doctor said. "Look at what you've done to yourself."

"Who are you to judge me?" Lazarus asked arrogantly.

"Over here, Tish," Martha said again.

"You have to spoil everything, don't you?" Tish snapped, stamping over to her. "Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find fault."

"Tish, he's a monster!" Martha said, watching behind her as Lazarus spasmed, his head and arms thrown back uncomfortably.

"I know the age thing's a bit freaky," Tish said, "but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones."

Growling started behind her, and she turned slowly to the see the grotesque monster that Lazarus had become; a strange, engorged creature, somewhere between a human skeleton and a scorpion.

"Run!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing Rose's waist and pushing her in front of him as the other two girls took off for the doors. They ran through the doors and down the stairs, the Doctor stopping briefly to lock the door with the sonic.

"Are you okay?" Martha asked Tish as Rose called up the lift.

"I was gonna snog him," Tish said.

They heard banging above them, then the lights went out as the PA system announced a security breach.

"What's happening?" Rose asked, looking around hurriedly.

"Uh, an intrusion," Tish stammered. "It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts. Seals the exits."

"He must be breaking through that door," the Doctor said, glancing back up the stairs.

"The stairs," Rose said curtly, and all four ran down them.

"He's inside!" Martha yelled as the door crashed open above them.

"Haven't got much time!" the Doctor yelled back, not even slowing down. "Tish! Is there another way out of here?" he asked as they burst into the reception room.

"There's an exit in the corner," Tish said, pointing. "But it'll be locked now."

"Rose, setting 54," he said, tossing his sonic screwdriver to her. "Hurry."

Rose rushed to the doors with Martha and Tish as the Doctor jumped on the platform in front of the machine.

"Listen to me!" the Doctor called as she set to work on the doors. "Your people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!"

"Don't be ridiculous," she heard someone scoff. "The biggest danger here is choking on an olive."

"God, there's always one," Rose said in irritation, the doors opening as glass shattered. She looked up to see Lazarus appear on the landing above before jumping down to the reception floor.

"Over here!" she called as people started sprinting for any available exit. "This way! Everyone downstairs now! Hurry!"

She heard the Doctor shouting again as she ushered people through the door, and looked up to see Lazarus bearing down on a woman who was frozen to the spot. She winced, looking away briefly. When she chanced another glance, it was too late…the woman's husk was falling to the ground. She exchanged a glance with the Doctor before Martha murmured her brother's name, scurrying through the room to where Francine and Leo were huddled on the floor as Lazarus rounded on them.

"Lazarus!" the Doctor shouted, distracting him and allowing Martha and Francine to pull Leo to his feet and steer him towards the door. "Leave them alone! What's the point if you can't control it? The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you. You're a fool, a vain old man who thought he could defy Nature. Only Nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!"

With that, he took off from the hall, Lazarus scuttling after him with astonishing speed.

"What's the Doctor doing?" Tish asked as Martha examined Leo.

"He's trying to buy us some time," Rose said, biting her lip. "Let's not waste it. Martha, is he alright?"

"He's got concussion," Martha said, putting some ice into a napkin and pressing it to her brother's head. "We'll need to help him downstairs."

"Right, okay, let's go," she said, ushering the Jones family away toward the stairs. "C'mon, I'm right behind you."

They made it down the stairs without further incident, but found the rest of the partygoers gathered around the main entrance, pushing and jostling each other as they fought against the locked doors in their panic.

"We can't get out!" Tish cried. "We're trapped!"

"Sonic screwdriver," Rose murmured, tossing it in the air as she scanned the entrance hall. "Very good at opening doors."

She found what she was looking for; she darted over to the security desk, hopping up and sliding over it to the machinery at the back. She ran the sonic over it, hoping that she wouldn't have to change the setting to trip the override that was sure to exist. She smiled when the lights came back on, the power unlocking the doors and allowing the guests to pour through. She hopped back over the desk and approached the Jones family, still standing just inside the doors.

"Everyone alright?" she asked Martha quickly, looking over the group.

"Think so, yeah," Martha said.

"Right…nice meeting you all," she said with a cheery smile before turning back for the stairs.

"You're going back?" Martha asked.

"Of course," Rose said, turning back. "Told you…all or nothing. That's how we do it." She paused, looking her up and down. "I'll see you soon, Martha Jones." With that, she turned, running back up the stairs.

Martha watched her for a moment before turning to her family. This might be her last chance at saving the day with the Doctor and Rose. She couldn't just leave.

"I've got to go back," she said quickly, already backing away.

"You can't!" Francine cried out. "You saw what that thing did. It'll kill you."

"I don't care," Martha said with more confidence than she felt. "I have to go."

"It's that Doctor, isn't it?" Francine asked in fear and irritation. "That's what's happened to you. That's why you've changed."

"He was buying us time, Martha," Tish said. "Time for you to get out, too."

"Didn't stop Rose," Martha pointed out, but without the spirit of competition she felt a few days ago. "I'm not…I'm not leaving them behind."

She turned and ran back up the stairs, but stopped short when she Rose leaning against a post at the top of the steps.

"Knew I'd see you soon," Rose said with a bright smile that Martha couldn't help returning. "C'mon!"

oOoOo

The Doctor made his way through the lab, turning gas jets on. Fill up the room, turn on the light, make a spark and…yeah, Rose might have a point about his love of pyrotechnics.

"More hide-and-seek, Doctor?" Lazarus called as he crashed through the door, and the Doctor ducked. "How disappointing. Why don't you come out and face me?"

He stayed silent until he made it to the back of the lab, flicking on the last gas jets.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" he called back before standing. "Why would I wanna face that, hmm?"

He turned and ran from the room, slamming the light switch on the way out and diving forward at the resulting explosion behind him. He scrambled back to his feet and hurtled down the hall again, only catch Rose as she nearly blew past him around the corner.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked is astonishment, catching sight of Martha right behind her.

"Returning this," Rose said with a grin as she held out the sonic screwdriver. "You're useless without it."

"How did you—?" he started as he pocketed it.

"I heard the explosion," she said with a shake of her head. "You and pyrotechnics."

"I blasted Lazarus," he said.

"Did you kill him?" Martha asked—just as the monster crashed into the hall.

"More sort of annoyed him, I'd say," the Doctor said, pushing both girls in front of him as they sprinted back down the corridor.

They tore through the corridors only to end up once again in the reception hall. The Doctor looked around hurriedly for a viable option to stop Lazarus.

"What now?" Martha asked. "We've just gone round in a circle!"

"We can't lead him outside," the Doctor said, then turned to the device. "Come on, get in."

The girls jumped into the cabinet of the device, and he hopped in after them as Lazarus came around the corner. He squeezed between them so that his back was to the back of the cabinet, with Rose pressed…quite closely to his front, Martha to their side.

This…would be tricky.

"Are we hiding?" Martha asked.

"No, he knows we're here," the Doctor said. "But this is his masterpiece. I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at us."

"But we're trapped!" she said.

"Well, yeah, that's a slight problem," the Doctor admitted.

"You mean you don't have a plan?" Martha asked incredulously.

"He sort of makes it up as he goes along," Rose told her. "He's really good at it…usually," she added looking up at him.

"In your own time, then," Martha snapped.

The Doctor squirmed and attempted to retrieve the sonic from his jacket, but somehow misjudged…something, and ended up with a hand down the top of Rose's dress. He pulled his hand back hurriedly as she arched an eyebrow at him, raising her own hands to retrieve the sonic for him.

"Ta," he said with a cough, and she nodded with a smirk.

"What're you gonna do with that?" Martha asked.

"Improvise," he said with a grin before attempting to slide down to the floor—with the incredibly distracting result of sliding down Rose. He fought for balance in his crouched position once he made it, grabbing onto a leg for support and thanking whoever was looking down on him that it was Rose's.

"Priorities, Doctor," Rose said, looking down at him. He looked up with a smirk before nudging her ankle to the side to pull up the panel beneath her feet.

"I still don't understand where that thing came from," Martha said. "Is it alien?"

"No, for once it's strictly human in origin," the Doctor said while he worked on the panel with the sonic screwdriver.

"Human?" she asked. "How can it be human?"

"Probably from dormant genes in Lazarus's DNA," he said. "The energy field in this thing must have reactivated them. And it looks like they're becoming dominant."

"So it's a throwback," Rose said.

"Some option that evolution rejected for humans millions of years ago, but the potential is still there," he said. "Locked away in your genes, forgotten about until Lazarus unlocked it by mistake."

"It's like Pandora's box," Martha said.

"Exactly," he said. "Nice shoes, by the way, girls."

Suddenly, the cabinet shuddered, and a blue light filled it.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Martha asked fearfully.

"Sounds like he's switched the machine on," Rose said.

"That's not good, is it?" the other girl asked.

"Well, I was hoping it was gonna take him a little bit longer to work that out," the Doctor said.

"Yeah, I don't want to hurry you, but—"

"I know, I know," he said, cutting Rose off. "Nearly done."

"What're you doing?" Rose asked curiously, looking down.

"Trying to set the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it," he explained hurriedly.

"Will that kill him?" she asked.

"When he transforms, he's three times his size," he said. "Cellular triplication—so he's spreading himself thin."

"We're gonna end up like him!" Martha cried, but he heard Rose shush her gently.

"Just one more," he assured her.

He pulled a last wire, and the light changed, as well as the movement. They heard a boom and a crash outside the cabinet, and then everything stopped. Rose held her hands down, helping the Doctor back to his feet, and he squeezed between them again to get to the door. He stepped out, holding the door for the girls.

"I thought we were gonna go through the blender then," Martha said.

"Really shouldn't take that long just to reverse the polarity," the Doctor said peevishly. "I must be a bit out of practice."

"You must be getting old," Rose said, shaking her head and smiling up at him.

"That too," he said, giving her a small smile before walking forward to where Lazarus's body lay, now human looking again.

"Oh God," Martha said. "He seems so…human again. It's kind of pitiful."

"Eliot saw that, too," the Doctor said, putting an arm around Rose's shoulders. "'This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper'."

He looked down on both of them sadly, pressing a kiss to Rose's hair as she leaned her head against his shoulder.


	20. The Lazarus Experiment Part 3

_**Aaand...the demise of Lazarus, and the fate of Martha Jones and her place on Team TARDIS. Yay! :)**_

**oOoOo**

Someone called medical services, and the trio followed the stretcher out, their mood subdued. The Doctor tugged at his bow tie, popping the top button on his collar wearily as they walked down the steps.

"She's here," they heard Tish call before running forward to hug Martha. "Oh, she's all right."

"Ah, Mrs Jones," the Doctor said, pasting on a cheerful smile as the rest of Martha's family approached. "We still haven't finished out chat."

Francine stepped forward purposefully and slapped the Doctor across the face, sending him reeling back into Rose.

"Keep away from my daughter," Francine hissed.

"Mum, what are you doing?" Martha cried, shocked.

"Always the mothers," he muttered, rubbing his cheek. "Every time."

"He is dangerous!" Francine said. "I've been told things."

"What are you talking about?" Martha demanded.

"Look around you!" Francine said, gesturing wide. "Nothing but death and destruction!"

"And how is any of that his fault?" Rose asked, angry now. "Do you have _any_ idea how many _more_ deaths there would be if it wasn't for him? Do you know how _you_ would have survived if it wasn't for him?"

"Rose," the Doctor said softly, trying to tug her away before the situation got worse.

"And what's your part in all this, exactly?" Francine spat at her.

"Stop it, Mum!" Martha cried. "She's his...girlfriend, and they're my friends, and they saved us. All of us. So just stop it!"

Before anyone could say anyone else, there was crash further up the street. The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look, then both glanced at Martha before taking off in the direction of the sound. Martha moved to follow, but Francine grabbed her arm.

"Leave him," she implored her daughter. "He's already got someone."

Martha looked at her for a moment. Yeah, he had someone. It would always be the Doctor and Rose. But that didn't mean they didn't need a friend to help them too. She slowly shook her head, taking off after her friends.

She caught up with them just as they reached the ambulance, surprised to find that Tish had followed as well. She gasped when she saw the remains of the EMTs in the ambulance.

"Lazarus, back from the dead," the Doctor said, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. "Should've known, really."

"Where's he gone?" Martha asked as he began scanning the area.

"That way," he said after a moment, looking up at the gothic cathedral. "The church."

"Cathedral," Tish corrected automatically, and the other three looked at her. "It's Southwark Cathedral. He told me."

The Doctor nodded, and led the group into the church, the sonic screwdriver held aloft in front of him. Rose was at his shoulder, looking around the dark interior nervously. She didn't like this at all. Lazarus had already survived one risky maneuver...what were they going to be able to pull in a church?

"Why here?" she whispered. "Why come here, of all the places to hide out?"

"Where would you go if you were looking for sanctuary?" the Doctor asked without glancing at her.

He kept moving through the cathedral to the empty space behind the altar. They found Lazarus sitting there with a blanket from the ambulance wrapped around him, his labored breaths coming in gasps.

"I came here before," he said as the Doctor walked toward, circling around him slowly. "A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat there, just a child…the sound of planes and bombs outside."

"The Blitz," the Doctor realized, pausing in front of him.

"You've read about it," Lazarus said.

"We were there," he said softly, glancing at Rose. She saw Martha and Tish start in surprise beside her, but kept her eyes focused on the two men.

"You're too young," Lazarus scoffed.

"So are you," the Doctor said.

Lazarus laughed briefly, but then gasped as his bones started popping and cracking, the mutation once again trying to take hold.

"In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive," he gasped out after a moment as the Doctor continued pacing around him, scanning the room and vaulted ceiling. "I swore I'd never face death like that again." Rose saw the Doctor glance again upwards, and she followed his gaze to the bell tower, wondering what he was planning. "So defenseless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it."

"That's what you were trying to do today," the Doctor said.

"That's what I _did_ today," Lazarus insisted angrily.

"What about the other people who died?" the Doctor asked hotly.

"They were nothing," Lazarus spat. "I changed the course of history."

"Any of them might have done, too," the Doctor said, his anger growing as he stopped in front of Lazarus again. "You think history's only made with equations? Facing death is part of being human. You can't change that."

"No, Doctor," Lazarus said as the Doctor began walking the other way, back toward girls. "Avoiding death. That's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fiber of being. I'm doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more…successful."

His words were punctuated by another groan as his body again tried to change.

"Look at yourself!" the Doctor shouted. "You're mutating! You've no control over it! You call that a success?"

"I call it progress," Lazarus said. "I'm more now that I was. More than just an ordinary human."

The Doctor glanced at the Rose, then at the Jones sisters. "There's no such thing as an ordinary human."

"He's gonna change again at any minute," Rose whispered to him.

"I know," he whispered back. "If I can get him up into the bell tower somehow, I've an idea that might work."

"Up there?" she asked, looking up and pointing, thinking quickly as he nodded. She backed up to Martha, pointing to the door, then up to the bell tower. The other girl nodded.

"You're so sentimental, Doctor," Lazarus said. "Maybe you are older than you look."

"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one," the Doctor said sadly, walking around him again, and Rose thought she saw his eyes flit to her once or twice as he continued talking. "In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle. Tired of losing everyone that matters to you. Tired of watching everything turn to dust." He crouched down beside Lazarus. "If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you end up alone."

"That's a price worth paying," Lazarus croaked out.

"Is it?" the Doctor asked, just before Lazarus started groaning again, his bones cracking worse than ever.

"I will feed soon," Lazarus warned him.

"I'm not gonna let that happen," the Doctor said calmly.

"You've not been able to stop me so far," Lazarus said with a sneer.

"Leave him, Lazarus!" Martha shouted suddenly, stepping around Rose, who looked at her in shock. "He's old and bitter. Thought you had a taste for fresher meat."

"Martha, no!" the Doctor shouted.

Lazarus snarled and leapt for her, and all three girls took off for the door.

"What were you thinking?" Rose demanded as they ran.

"It got him moving, didn't it?" Martha shot back, and Rose shook her head.

"Doctor!" she shouted back to him as they reached the door. "The tower!"

The three girls sped up the narrow spiral staircase the led to the upper level. As they ran, they heard a groan, a scream, and the sound of crunching bones on the stairs below them.

"Did you hear that?" Tish asked.

"He's changed again," Martha said.

"Come on," Rose urged, tearing her eyes away from the space behind them. "We've got to lead him up."

As they reached the upper level, Rose heard the Doctor yelling her name from below.

"Doctor!" she called back, leaning out of one of the archways on the upper level, and she saw him spin around to face her.

"Take him to the top," he shouted. "The very top of the bell tower, d'you hear me?"

"Up to the top!" she confirmed, wondering what it was exactly that he was planning as she ducked back out of the archway. As she did, she saw Lazarus making his way along the passage. "Come on!" she yelled to the other two, sprinting away.

They made it to the end of the passage, and climbed another rickety staircase to the top of the bell tower, running to the opposite side of the circular wooden walkway.

"There's nowhere to go!" Tish cried. "We're trapped!"

"The Doctor has a plan," Rose assured her, hoping to god that it was a good one. "This is where he said to bring him."

"All right, so we're not trapped," Tish said. "We're bait."

"He knows what he's doing," Martha said confidently, and Rose couldn't help beaming at her. "We have to trust him."

"Ladies," they heard Lazarus hiss from the hall, and Rose focused on the entrance again.

"Right," Rose said, her eyes trained on Lazarus as he entered the room. "You two, stay back. If I can distract him, make a run for it."

"We can't just leave you up here," Martha said quickly, and Rose glanced at her briefly in annoyance, wondering if this was how the Doctor felt when she argued with him.

"I'll be fine, just do it," she hissed. "Oi! Ugly!"

She moved quickly, trying to lure him away from the door so the other girls could get out, but he was faster: he attacked, swinging his scorpion tail down, barely missing her when she ducked, but knocking out the railing in front of her.

"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered as she heard the organ start below them, and ducked again, only to be smacked across the shoulders as he swept back around while she straightened, knocking her off the platform. She caught the edge as she heard Martha scream her name.

"Get away from her!" the other girl yelled furiously at Lazarus. "Rose, hold on!"

Suddenly, the sound of the organ increased exponentially, shaking the woodwork and making them all cry out in pain as it reverberated through the space. Rose clung to the shuddering platform with all her might, even while it felt like her head would explode in agony. It was only a few seconds before Lazarus roared and fell, plummeting from the bell tower to the cathedral floor far below. The organ stopped—and Rose's grip slipped.

"I've got you," Martha said, grabbing hold of her arm, and her heart started beating again as she looked up gratefully. "Hold on."

"Rose?" the Doctor called from below. "Martha?"

Tish joined Martha, the two sisters hauling Rose back on to the platform.

"ROSE!" the Doctor called again with an edge of fear.

"I'm okay!" she called back hurriedly. "We're both okay!" She turned, throwing her arms around Martha. "Thanks," she whispered, then raised her eyes to Tish. "You too. Thank you."

"It's your Doctor you should be thanking," Tish said with a nervous chuckle.

"Told you he'd think of something," Martha said happily.

"He cut it a bit fine there, didn't he?" Tish asked.

"He always does," Rose said with a smile. "It's more fun that way."

"Who are you two?" Tish asked her.

"We're—" she started, then floundered.

"They're the Doctor and Rose Tyler," Martha said, grinning at her.

"Yep," she said, smiling back. "Sums us up nicely. C'mon, before he tears the place down completely."

They made their way back down to the cathedral floor, Rose running the last few steps to the Doctor, who immediately took her in his arms, spinning her around before kissing her soundly. After a moment, he broke away, releasing her and hugging a very surprised Martha Jones.

"You two...are brilliant," he said, grinning as they embraced.

"I didn't know you could play," Martha commented as he stepped back, his arm winding around Rose's lower back again.

"Oh, well, you know," he said. "If you hang around with Beethoven, you're bound to pick a few things up."

"Especially about playing loud," Rose said.

"Sorry?" he asked, leaning toward her and putting a hand behind his ear, grinning widely as she rolled her eyes and Martha laughed.

oOoOo

The Doctor made a beeline for the TARDIS when they got back to Martha's flat, unlocking the door quickly before turning back to Martha.

"Something else that just kind of escalated, then," he said, tugging Rose to his side.

"I can see a pattern developing," Martha said with a grin, leaning on the wall of the TARDIS. "You should take more care in the future. And the past, and whatever other time period you find yourself in."

"It's been fun, though, hasn't it?" he asked with a grin of his own.

"Yeah," she agreed, laughing. She looked between them and sobered for a moment. "Sorry about Mum. She's just...ah, she's a bit prone to snap judgments, and a bit stubborn about letting them go." She noticed the Doctor roll his eyes up to the ceiling, his lips twitching, and her jaw dropped. "Oh my god...I'm my mum. Oh...that's just...not alright."

"Well, you haven't slapped either of us," Rose said with a smile. "And your mum's not so bad...she was just trying to protect you. Though, if she ever slaps the Doctor again..."

"The good news is, you don't _have_ to be like that," the Doctor said. "Nor should you. Don't be Francine Jones. The world's already got one of them. Be Martha Jones."

"What do you want, Martha?" Rose asked suddenly. "Apart from what your family needs or wants from you, what do you want?"

"I dunno," Martha said honestly. "I mean, I want to be a doctor, I know that. I want to help people. A few days ago, if anyone had asked me that, I'd say I already had everything. But out there..."

Rose nodded, and looked up at the Doctor. He looked down at her for a long moment before turning back to Martha curiously.

"I don't suppose...before you got back to the grind of your studies," he said slowly, "you'd care to travel for a while?"

"What, like...not just a passenger?" she asked, looking between them quickly. "Actually part of the...team, or crew, or whatever?"

"Sure," Rose said. "Like you said, Doctor...we've been on our own for a while. It'd be nice to have someone else around."

"Oh...oh, thank you!" she cried happily, hugging first the Doctor, then Rose.

"Well, you never really were just a passenger, were you?" the Doctor asked, holding the door open for both girls.

Martha grinned as she watched the Doctor and Rose banter while he maneuvered the ship back into the Vortex. She might never have had a chance with the Doctor, but at least she had a chance to live a life for herself, helping people all across the universe, with friends who thought she was brilliant and seemed to enjoy her company rather than need it for something—which, she quickly realized, was probably better anyway.

"So, Martha Jones," the Doctor said suddenly, breaking into her thoughts as he turned to her with a grin. "Tell me…where do you want to go first?"

**oOoOo**

_**Small P.S. for Afterlife Inc, since I couldn't respond to you personally but did not forget about you:**_

_**Thank you for the in depth review with loads of questions. First off, no, I'm not taking pointers from Wintermoth-I do read With Starlight in their Wake (and think it's fantastic), but apart from garnering the inspiration from someone else's story for The Wolf and the Thief, my stories have always been all me-well, me, my brilliant beta babe, and the genius writers of Doctor Who. Second, I have no idea how far I'm taking this...probably at least through season four, though possibly as another sequel, but there's possibilities I'm already exploring for later seasons as well. Time will tell. Lastly, since you're not the first person to ask, I put a link for Rose's dress in this episode on my profile; another find by my brilliant beta babe, since I am completely clueless about fashion (seriously, the girl puts up with so much for me, you have no idea). I think that covers everything, yeah? Cheers!  
**_


	21. The Other Edge

**_Another rather short interlude. For the Doctor, old habits die hard...and nothing says the Doctor quite like beating himself up for things beyond his control or evading confrontations about his moodiness. Thanks as usual to all the followers and reviewers...you all consistently make me smile :)_**

**oOoOo**

_"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one. In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle. Tired of losing everyone that matters to you. Tired of watching everything turn to dust. If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you end up alone."_

_"That's a price worth paying." _

_"Is it?"_

The Doctor sat alone in the kitchen and stewed over a cup of tea. Both girls were still sleeping, so it was the perfect time to brood about the things that he couldn't explain to them. Martha wouldn't understand, and Rose would be hurt. He didn't want to deal with either of those eventualities, so he waited until they succumbed to their need for sleep to pick at these fresh wounds.

The words he'd said to Lazarus spilled back through his mind again. He's spoken the absolute truth to the man who'd mangled himself in the effort to live a longer life. What he hadn't counted on was the realization that, while he had come to terms—more or less—with the curse of his own longevity…he wasn't sure he was completely alright with the fact that Rose was now doomed to the same fate. While he was now able to spend the rest of his life with her, provided she stayed…she now had to watch everything fall to dust around her, with only him left. Nearly everyone she would meet from now on, no matter how much she loved them, she would have to lose them. Because of him. To be totally happy about that seemed…incredibly selfish.

Not only that, but the cause of her prolonged existence, her strange neo-human DNA, had caused her problems more than once. Just since he'd found out about all of it, she'd twice been in dangerous spots that would have been avoided had she still been human. The Empress would not have been able to cause her pain, and she would have had nothing to fear from the Judoon. He could have kissed her and avoided the whole mess with Martha. But…then again…were she still in a place where she could be human…she probably wouldn't have been there at all. Because he'd changed her. He hadn't forced the Vortex into her, but if he had never met her, she would still be Rose Tyler, shop girl from the Powell Estates…maybe not extraordinary, but completely human, and probably far happier for it. She'd still have her mum, she'd still have Mickey and all the other friends and family that thought she was dead now.

He had no idea what, if anything, to do about any of this knowledge however. Feeling guilty wasn't new…he'd been living with that long enough that a little more piled on wasn't going to change a whole lot. But he hated the idea that someday, all of this would occur to Rose as well, and she'd end up resenting him for turning her life into battlefield littered with fallen friends and fearsome foes that she should never have had to deal with.

Just one more reason to wonder if simply living long enough was going to be enough to keep her by his side.

"Well, someone's looking chipper this morning," came a voice from the doorway, breaking into his disparaging thoughts.

He took a deep breath as he looked up, attempting to school his features into something more presentable.

"Martha Jones," he said with a smile. "How're we feeling today?"

"That depends…is there still tea?" she asked skeptically.

"There is."

"Then wonderful," she said with a bright smile, making her way over to the kettle and fixing herself a cup before joining him at the table. "Girlfriend still asleep?"

"Yes," he growled. "And I _really_ wish you wouldn't call her that."

"What am I supposed to call her?" Martha asked. "And why do you have such issue with labels anyway? Still having trouble owning up to it?"

"Not at all," he said easily, taking another sip. "But nine hundred year old Time Lords do _not _have 'girlfriends'. So I'd suggest…calling her Rose. That seems to work, most of the time."

"Hold on, you're nine hundred years old?" Martha asked, having nearly spit out her tea.

"Nine hundred and two," he clarified.

"And Rose is how old?"

"Twenty-one…ish."

"So you're…hold on…over forty _times_ older than her?" she asked, and he nodded with a smirk. "God, I am just never going to understand you two."

"Word of advice, Martha," he said. "Stop trying. I don't even understand us half of the time, and I understand nearly everything."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said as the sound of a wolf howling reverberated through the corridors. "What the hell was _that_?" she asked, looking around.

"Oh…you've never been awake before her, have you?" the Doctor asked with a smile as he got up to fix another cup of tea. "Little joke. Also, a warning…it doesn't matter if Rose needs two hours of sleep a night or ten, she will never, ever be a morning person."

He held out the cup as he said this, and, on cue, Rose came staggering into the kitchen, took the cup from him, and sat down with a plop on one of the chairs around the table.

"I hate you," she said in a rough voice before sipping at her tea.

"Good morning to you, too," he said happily, kissing the top of her head before sitting down again. "Anyway, it's the TARDIS, not me."

"Yeah, you keep saying that," she grumbled.

"Wow, you weren't kidding," Martha said with a laugh. "Really not a morning person."

"Give her a chance to finish her cup of tea," the Doctor said. "She'll be fine."

Martha nodded. "So what had you in such a foul mood when I walked in?"

"What? Oh, nothing," he said quickly when Rose looked at him suspiciously. "I was just…concentrating on some modifications I plan to do later on the TARDIS. In that vein…I was thinking we could go to Stravogaraza today. Supposedly, it's the biggest shopping center in the universe…if you can't find something there, it doesn't exist. I have some parts to pick up, and I dare say you two could find some way to amuse yourselves," he added with a smirk at their growing smiles.

oOoOo

They spent the day wandering around the planet sized shopping center (minus the parking continent), Martha and Rose tugging the Doctor around to explain various alien items they found, much to his apparent amusement. The tables were turned when they entered the hardware section and the Doctor's demeanor quickly changed to that of a six year old who'd had too much cake. He bounced around the different sections, oohing and ahing over various gizmos, gadgets, and spare parts. Rose made an attempt to rein him in by asking if he actually needed all the items he'd thrown into the cart for the TARDIS, but he gave her a petulant look and told her that every single thing he'd picked up was necessary for _something_…or, at least, that it would be. She rolled her eyes and gave up after that.

The Doctor treated them to dinner out after hours of shopping. Martha wasn't sure she wanted to ask where he'd gotten the money for all the things he'd paid for that day, but was having entirely too much fun to comment. Any residual awkwardness following her first few days with the couple had officially been buried after this outing, and dinner turned into a loud affair as wine was had and the Doctor had the girls in stitches with various stories of odd encounters, including the most peaceful revolution ever: apparently, the "despot king" didn't really want to be king, but a pig farmer, so he gladly relinquished the throne to the pacifist revolutionaries who didn't so much storm the castle as hesitantly shuffle while apologizing for the inconvenience.

When they finally made it back to the TARDIS, the girls immediately went to their rooms to sort through their many purchases from the day. Martha quickly realized that she'd forgotten a bag and made her way back to the console room to find the Doctor leaning against the console wearing the same pensive look she'd seen when she first encountered him this morning.

"Did you get the parts you were looking for?" she asked as she retrieved her forgotten parcel.

"Hmm? What?" he asked, confused momentarily, then his face cleared. "Oh, yes. Everything I needed. Did you have a good time?"

"Oh, the best," she said sincerely, then studied him for a moment. "It wasn't parts you were thinking about, was it?" she asked quietly.

"Um…no, not entirely," he said, turning and looking down at the console.

"Is it…do you not want me here?" she asked uncertainly. It didn't seem likely, after the last week or so, but people change their minds all the time.

"Oh, no…no no no," he assure her quickly. "Nothing like that. I…I mean, Rose and I, we love having you here."

She thought quickly. "Something…with Rose, then?" she asked warily, not wanting him to think that it was still latent jealousy that made her ask.

"Um, no," he said, looking down again. "No…it's…something with me. Don't worry about it."

"Is it—"

"Honestly, Martha, I'm fine," he insisted, looking back up at her.

"Alright…well…if you ever want to…you know, talk," she said, relenting, "you know where to find me."

"Yeah," he said quickly, studying a monitor.

"Okay," she said. "Oh, and Doctor? Thanks for today. It really was brilliant."

"It was my pleasure, Martha Jones," he said with a smile, turning to her again.

She watched him for another moment. "You sure you're alright?"

He looked at her steadily for a moment. "I'm always alright."


	22. Daleks in Manhattan Part 1

_**And now for the first part in two of my least favorite episodes of Ten's era, huzzah! I've ranted plenty about these episodes, so I won't do it here, but I do hope you all enjoy the chapters regardless.**_

**oOoOo**

"So, ladies, where do you want to go?" the Doctor asked, wandering around the console and flicking controls at random.

"What, no suggestions from the Time Lord today?" Martha teased.

"Nah, figure this one's up to you," he said, turning and leaning against the console to face the two girls on the jump seat. "So what do you think? Backwards? Forwards? Different planet? Home planet? What?"

"Hmmm...backwards," Rose suggested. "Earth. How about...sometime post-Great War? The rest is up to you."

"That I can work with," he said with a grin, spinning around again and working the controls with purpose now. The TARDIS landed after another moment, and he shrugged into his long coat as the girls darted for the door.

"Where are we?" Martha asked as they stepped out of the TARDIS.

"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze," the Doctor said, breathing deeply as he joined them. "Nice and cold. Lovely. Ladies, have you met my friend?" he added, turning and looking up. They both followed his gaze to look up at the figure of the Statue of Liberty.

"Is that—?" Martha asked, stunned. "Oh my God! That's the Statue of Liberty!"

"Gateway to the New World," the Doctor said with a grin as he took Rose's hand. "'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to break free…'"

"That's so brilliant," Martha said. "I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean the real New York, not the new, new, new, new, new, new..."

"Well, there's the genuine article," the Doctor said, strolling to the edge of the island to look across the bay. "So good, they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. Now wonder it didn't catch on. New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam."

"We came here for New Year's," Rose told Martha. "We were here for the very first Times Square ball drop."

"And then for the unveiling of the second version of the ball in 1920," the Doctor added with a grin.

"You did New Year's twice?" Martha asked with a laugh.

"Miracle of a time machine," the Doctor said happily, pulling Rose close while she giggled.

"I wonder what year it is now," she said. "'Cause look, the Empire State Building's not even finished yet."

"Work in progress," the Doctor said, looking at the construction. "Still got a couple floors to go, and if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around—"

"November 1, 1930," Martha said behind them.

"You're getting good at this," the Doctor said, turning in surprise.

"Eighty years ago," she said as the Doctor took the paper from her. He looked at it with a frown, showing it to Rose as Martha continued. "It's funny 'cause you see all those old newsreels in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are. It's real. It's now. Come on, then you two. Where do we go first?"

"Well, this might be one place to start," the Doctor said, showing her the headline he and Rose had been examining.

"'Hooverville Mystery Deepens'," she read. "What's Hooverville?"

oOoOo

"Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the USA, came to power a year ago," the Doctor said in full lecture mode as they strolled through Central Park. "Up till then New York was a boom town, the Roaring Twenties, and then…"

"The Wall Street Crash, yeah?" Martha asked. "When was that, 1929?"

"Yeah," he said. "Whole economy wiped out overnight. Thousands of people unemployed. Suddenly the huddled masses doubled in number with nowhere to go. So they ended up here in Central Park."

"Living in the park?" Rose asked, glancing around as he looked down at her, brows raised. "Seriously? And no one's helping them?"

"Nothing for them to do," the Doctor said as they approached Hooverville, with its sprawling collection of lean-tos, shacks, and tents. Paths were tramped down between them, giving the "town" some sense of order in the chaos. "Thousands of people, ordinary people, unemployed and looking for jobs that don't exist. Couldn't pay the rent and they lost everything. There are places like this all over America. You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go."

As they wandered further, they heard the sound of a fight breaking out somewhere. They followed the sound just as a man came out of a tent, yelling at two younger men who were throwing blows.

"Cut that out!" the older man yelled, moving between them and pushing them apart. "Right now!"

"He stole my bread!" shouted one of them.

"That's enough!" the older man ordered before turning to look at the second man. "Did you take it?"

"I don't know what happened," the accused said defensively. "He just went crazy."

The first man lunged again but was held back.

"That's enough!" the older man said again, once again turning to the second man. "Now think real careful before you lie to me."

"I'm starvin', Solomon," he said desperately.

The older man, Solomon, sighed and held out his hand. The thief reached into his coat, pulling out a loaf of bread and handing it to him.

"We're all starvin'," he said, breaking the loaf in half and giving each man a piece. "We all got families somewhere. No stealin' and no fightin'," he ordered, pointing a finger to each man in turn. "You know the rules. Thirteen years ago I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason we got through was because we stuck together! No matter how bad things get, we still act like human beings. It's all we got."

"Come on," the Doctor said quietly, nudging Martha's shoulder and pulling Rose with him as he approached Solomon. "I suppose that makes you the boss around here."

"And, uh, who might you be?" the other man asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

"He's the Doctor, I'm Rose, and this is Martha," Rose said, pointing to each of them in turn.

"A doctor," Solomon scoffed. "Well, we got, uh, stockbrokers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. Neighborhood gets classier by the day," he added, holding out his hands to warm them over a fire.

"How many people live here?" Martha asked, looking around.

"At any one time, hundreds," Solomon said. "No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville. We are a truly equal society, black, white, all the same. All starving. So you're welcome, all three of you." He stopped, giving the Doctor an appraising look. "But tell me, Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me." He wandered off a little ways, and the trio followed to find him looking up at the Empire State building. He pointed up to it. "That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?"

"I wish I had an answer for you," the Doctor said sadly.

"Yeah," Solomon said, shaking his head and walking away. They gazed at the immense structure for another moment before the Doctor urged them away.

"So…men are going missing," he said when they caught up with Solomon again, holding up the newspaper. "Is this true?"

Solomon took the paper and read it, shaking his head. "It's true all right," he said before turning back into his tent.

"But what does missing mean?" the Doctor asked, standing against a post at the opening of the tent. "Men must come and go here all the time. It's not like anyone's keeping a register."

"C'mon in," Solomon said as he sat down. "This is different."

"In what way?" Martha asked as they made their way inside and sat with him.

"Someone takes them," he said reluctantly. "At night. We hear something. Someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanish into thin air."

"What makes you think someone's taking them?" Rose asked curiously.

"Listen...Rose, was it?" he asked, and she nodded. "Rose, when you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got," he replied. "Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning."

"Have you been to the police?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, we tried that," Solomon said with a derisive snort. "Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal."

"So, the question is," the Doctor said slowly, "who's taking them and what for?"

Before they could speculate any further, a young man popped his head into the tent.

"Solomon, Mr Diagoras is here," the kid said. Solomon jumped up, and the other three exchanged a look before following swiftly.

"I need men," a man—Mr Diagoras, presumably—was saying, standing on a box to be seen and heard above the gathering crowd. "Volunteers. I got a little work for you and you sure look like you can use the money."

"Yeah, what is the money?" the young man asked suspiciously.

"A dollar a day," Diagoras said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation as the crowd grumbled.

"What's the work?" Solomon asked.

"A little trip down the sewers," Diagoras said. "Got a tunnel that collapsed needs clearing and fixing. Any takers?"

"A dollar a day?" Solomon asked with a sneer. "That's slave wage. Men don't always come back up, do they?"

"Accidents happen," Diagoras replied calmly.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked quickly, frowning. "What sort of accidents?"

"You don't need the work? That's fine. Anybody else?" Diagoras asked, and the Doctor raised his hand. "Enough with the questions," the man said impatiently.

"Oh...no," the Doctor said. "I'm volunteering."

"I'll kill you for this," Martha said as she and Rose raised their hands as well, making him chuckle.

Solomon and the young man, whose name they soon found out was Frank, also raised their hands. With no other takers, Diagoras left, leading them into the sewers nearby.

"Turn left, go about half a mile," Diagoras instructed when they were down in the tunnel. "Follow Tunnel 273. Fall's right ahead of you. You can't miss it."

"And when do we get our dollar?" Frank asked.

"When you come back up," Diagoras told him.

"What if we don't come back up?" Rose asked, eyeing him with distaste.

"Then I got no one to pay," Diagoras said nastily.

"We'll be back," Solomon assured him.

"Let's hope so," Martha said quietly.

The group moved to make their way down the tunnel, but Rose looked back to see the Doctor staring down Diagoras before moving after them.

"I don't like this," she said softly as they caught up with the rest of the group, moving past Martha and Frank, who were talking quietly. "He seemed a bit too nonchalant about the fact that we might not make it back."

"Mmm...yeah," the Doctor said, nodding. "Do me a favor, stay close, and keep Martha with you."

"Same goes for you," she said, arching an eyebrow. "God knows what you'd get into, wandering down here on your own."

"Yes ma'am," he said, lips twitching before he turned to Solomon. "So this Diagoras bloke, who is he then?"

"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman," Solomon said with a shrug. "Now it seems like he's running most of Manhattan."

"How did he manage that, then?" the Doctor asked.

"These are strange times," Solomon said. "A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks it works the other way 'round."

The Doctor wasn't listening, his attention caught on something ahead of them. He let out an exclamation as he shined his torch on the blob on the ground giving off a sickly green glow.

"What the hell is that?" Rose said, crouching with him near it as Martha came forward.

"It's gone off, whatever it is," Martha said, pulling a face as she covered her mouth and nose. The Doctor slipped on his specs and carefully picked up the blob. "And you've got to pick it up," she added, rolling her eyes.

"Don't you dare lick that," Rose warned as he brought it closer to his face.

"Course not," he said distractedly. "Even my oral fixations only extend so far. Shine your light through it?" She leaned over, shining her torch underneath it and back up at him. "Composite organic matter. Martha? Medical opinion?"

"It's not human," Martha replied. "I know that."

"No, it's not," the Doctor said, examining it for another moment before looking up. "And I'll tell you something else. We must be at least half a mile in and I don't see any sign of a collapse, do you?"

"So why are we down here, then?" Rose asked, looking around.

"Where are we now?" Martha asked. "What's above us?"

"Well…we're right underneath Manhattan," the Doctor said, standing and looking up. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then shoved the jelly thing into his pocket as Martha and Rose exchanged horrified glances. "C'mon."

They walked in silence for several more minutes before Rose stopped, bringing the rest to a halt with her.

"Rose, what is it?" the Doctor asked.

"We've been walking a _long_ time," she said carefully. "Far more than half a mile."

"She's right," Solomon said. "We're way beyond that, and there's no collapse, nothing."

"That Diagoras bloke, was he lying?" Martha asked.

"Looks like it," the Doctor said, looking around the dank tunnel again.

"So why did he want people to come down here?" Frank asked.

"I don't like this," Rose said quickly, scanning the area. "This feels like a set-up."

The Doctor looked at her, weighing his decision. "Don't suppose you'd be willing to go back?"

"Not a chance," she said decisively.

The Doctor sighed. "Solomon, I think it's time you took these two back. We'll be much quicker on our own."

"Hold on, why's she get to stay?" Martha asked.

He shushed her quickly and held up a hand as a squealing noise echoed through the tunnels.

"What the hell was that?" Solomon asked in a hushed voice.

"Hello?" Frank yelled, and both girls hushed him. "What if it's one of the folk gone missing? You'd be scared, half-mad down here on your own."

"Do you think they're still alive?" the Doctor asked him.

"Heck, we ain't seen no bodies down here," he said with a shrug. "Maybe they just got lost."

They looked around again as they heard more squealing. The Doctor took a few wary steps down one of the tunnels.

"I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that," Solomon muttered.

"Sounds like there's more than one of 'em," Frank said.

"This way," the Doctor said.

"No, that way," Solomon said, shining his light down another tunnel.

Rose shown her light down yet another tunnel and looked back at the Doctor, shaking her head and shrugging before Martha spotted something further down the tunnel they'd been heading down-a figure huddled on the ground.

"Doctor…" she called fearfully, looking back at him.

"Who are you?" Solomon asked.

"Are you lost?" Frank asked when it didn't respond. "Can you understand me? I've been thinkin' about folk lost…"

He started to walk toward the figure, but the Doctor stopped him quickly.

"It's all right, Frank," he said. "Just stay back. Let me have a look." He squeezed Rose's wrist to tell her to stay for the moment as well and walked toward the figure. "He's got a point, though, my mate Frank. I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own. We know the way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us." He stopped in front of the figure, crouching down to look at it. "Oh, but what are you?" he asked, shining his light in the face of what looked like a pig.

"Is, uh, that some kind of carnival mask?" Solomon asked nervously.

"No, it's real. I'm sorry," he said genuinely to the pig man. "Now listen to me. I promise I can help. Now, who did this to you?"

Shadows began to crawl further along the tunnel, and more pig men came around the corner.

"Doctor, you might want to come back," Rose called, eyeing them warily.

"Actually…good point," he said, standing and backing slowly towards them as the pig men advanced.

"They're following you," Martha said.

"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks," he said quickly. "Well then, Martha, Frank, Solomon, Rose…"

"What?" Martha asked, staring in horror.

"I think...um, basically…run!" he shouted, and all five of them sped off down the tunnels.

"Where are we going?" Martha shouted, confused, as she stopped at a cross-section.

"This way!" the Doctor yelled, racing past her.

They ran for several more yards, the pig men hot on their tails, when Rose stopped at the mouth of an adjoining tunnel and called for the Doctor. He sped back to her as she ran in.

"There's a ladder!" he called to the others before running after Rose and leaping up the ladder to open the lid with the sonic screwdriver. Rose climbed up after him, Martha following quickly. Solomon met them up top after another moment, and he and the Doctor both put a hand down into the manhole to help Frank...but the pig men got to him first. They were all shouting, and then Solomon shoved the Doctor aside and closed the lid before anyone else could climb up.

"We can't go after him," Solomon said.

"We gotta go back down!" the Doctor shouted, lurching for the cover.

"We can't just leave him down there!" Rose cried, while Martha jumped and cowered behind her, looking near tears.

Solomon shoved the Doctor aside once again. "No, I'm not losing anybody else! Those creatures were from Hell! From Hell itself! If we go after them, they'll take us all! There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."

"All right then," another voice said suddenly. "Put 'em up."


	23. Daleks in Manhattan Part 2

_**Yay, slightly less boring chapter! Although I really dislike these episodes, I did have more fun than I probably should have putting Rose into them. Rose does not like Daleks. Daleks do not like Rose. It's a beautiful thing.**_

_**Oh, and for the final companion:**_

_**Top Five Ten Stories (in no particular order)  
**__**The Christmas Invasion  
The Runaway Bride  
Blink  
Midnight  
School Reunion **__**(if only due to the presence of both Elizabeth Sladen and Anthony Head)**_

_**Five Least Favorite Ten Stories (also no particular order)  
**__**Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks**__** (two-parter, so it counts as one story, although I hate the second part slightly less than the first)  
**__**The Next Doctor  
42  
Fear Her  
Love and Monsters**_

**oOoOo**

Martha's eyes got wide and she put her hands in the air as the other three turned slowly to see a blonde woman aiming a gun at them. When they continued to stare at her, she cocked the gun pointedly.

"Hands in the air," she said. "And no funny business."

They slowly put their hands up, the Doctor edging over slightly to put himself between the gun and Rose.

"Now tell me, you schmucks," she continued. "What've you done with Lazlo?"

"Who...who's Lazlo?" Martha asked, confused.

The woman watched them for a moment, then gestured to have them follow her out of the room.

"C'mon over to my dressing room," she said. "Dunno if I wanna talk in here like this."

The woman walked backwards out of the room, keeping them in sight as she made her way out of the room and across the corridor to her dressing room. Once there, she slumped in the seat in front of the vanity.

"Lazlo's my boyfriend," she told them. "Or was my boyfriend until two weeks ago. No letter, no good-bye, no nothin'. And I'm not stupid." She began to gesture vaguely with the gun as she talked, making the Doctor, who was standing closest to her, lean back in concern. "I know some guys are just pigs but not my Lazlo. I mean, what kinda guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?"

"It might…might just help if you put that down," the Doctor suggested cautiously.

"Huh?" she asked, looking at him blankly for a moment before seeming to see the gun for the first time. "Oh, sure," she said, tossing it into a chair and making him jump back into the girls behind him. "Oh, c'mon. It's not real. It's just a prop. It was either that or a spear."

"Again with the fake guns," Rose muttered, and his lips twitched as Martha came forward.

"What do you think happened to Lazlo?" she asked.

"I wish I knew," the woman said. "One minute he's there, the next, zip—vanished."

"Listen, ah—what's your name?" the Doctor asked, stepping closer to her.

"Tallulah," she said.

"Tallulah—"

"Three Ls and an H," she clarified.

He stared at her blankly for a beat, then shook himself. "Right. Um, we can try to find Lazlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night."

"And there are creatures," Solomon said in a rough voice. "Such creatures."

"Whaddaya mean 'creatures'?" Tallulah asked, looking past the Doctor to Solomon.

"Look…listen, just trust me," the Doctor said. "Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this is—" He took the slimy mess from his pocket. "—because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting."

oOoOo

While the Doctor went to scour the props room for some way to rig up a DNA scan, the girls stayed with Tallulah as she changed and got ready for her show that evening.

"Lazlo…He's wait for me after the show, walk me home like I was a lady," she was saying. "He'd leave a flower for me on my dressing table. Every day, just a single rose."

"Haven't you reported him missing?" Martha asked.

"Sure, but he's just a stagehand," she said with a shrug. "Who cares? The management certainly don't."

"Then make them care," Rose said. "Kick up a fuss. Refuse to go on. After all, you're the star of the show," she added with a smile.

"Oh, honey," Tallulah said. "I got one show in a back street revue and that's only because Heidi Chicane broke her ankle—which had nothin' to do with me whatever anybody says. I can't afford to make a fuss. They'll fire me, and if I don't make this month's rent, then before you know it, I'm in Hooverville."

"That's just…so wrong," Martha said, shaking her head.

"It's the Depression, sweetie," Tallulah said with a small, broken smile. "Your heart might break, but the show goes on and if it stops, you starve. Every night I have to go out there, sing, dance, keep goin'. Hoping he's gonna come back."

She burst into tears, and Rose put her arms around her. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. Tallulah sank into the embrace for a moment, then pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"Hey, you're lucky, though," she said. "You got yourself a forward thinking guy with that hot potato in the sharp suit."

Rose chuckled. "Yeah, suppose I am."

"Suppose nothing," Tallulah said, standing up from the vanity. "I've seen the way he looks at you. That man'd lay down his life for you."

"Wouldn't be the first time," she murmured, and Martha looked at her sharply. She just shook her head though. "But listen," she continued in a louder voice. "You can't give up hope. We'll do everything we can to find Lazlo."

"Oh, I still got hope," Tallulah said with a small smile. "It's the only thing that's kept me going 'cause…look." She lifted a white rose from the vanity and showed it to them. "On my dressing table every day still."

"You think it's Lazlo?" Martha asked, taking the rose with a frown.

"I don't know," Tallulah said. "If he's still around, why's he bein' all secret like he doesn't want me to see him?" Both girls shrugged, not knowing what else to say. "Yeah, that's all I got either. Well, here goes."

She pranced out into the hall, calling: "Girls, it's showtime!" A bustle of red sequined costumes came through the hall and onto the stage, bickering good naturedly.

"Come on, girls, take a look," Tallulah said, beckoning them forward. "Ever been on stage before?"

"Oh, little bit," Rose said with a grin, exchanging a glance with Martha.

"You know, Shakespeare," Martha said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"How dull is that?" Tallulah asked, and they both chuckled. "Come and see a real show," she urged, pulling them both toward the stage.

They stood in the wings as the showgirls took their places, and smiled as the revue started. They swayed a little to the music as Tallulah sang about her, her love, and the Devil...until Martha nudged Rose in the side and nodded off to the other side of the stage. Rose peered into the darkness and saw one of the pig men...but he didn't look quite like the others.

"What the hell…" she murmured, then looked over as Martha started to make her way on stage. "No, Martha!" she tried to whisper, but the other girl couldn't hear her as she tried to hide behind another dancer. She moved another step and ended up on someone's tail, both of them going down in a heap.

"Get off the stage!" Tallulah cried. "You're spoilin' it!"

"No, but look," Martha said, pointing at the pig man.

Tallulah saw him and screamed, and Martha made for the other edge of the stage.

"Martha!" Rose tried to call, but the other girl took off. "Oh…blimey," Rose muttered before racing across the stage after her. She lost her for a moment in the corridors back stage, but heard her yelling and took off toward the sound, catching up with her in the props room they had first entered.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Rose asked. "You can't just go after unknown creatures on your own!"

"Oh, like you mean like you and the Doctor do, yeah?" Martha spat angrily. "Anyway, he was different. That's why I chased him."

Rose made a frustrated noise. "Yeah, alright, but…that was still…hold on, what was that?"

They turned toward the snorting noise and screamed as pig men came out of the woodwork at them.

oOoOo

The Doctor cursed as he bolted for backstage. The showgirls had screamed and run offstage, and he had no doubt that somehow Rose and Martha were involved. And bloody, bloody Skaro. His only hope now was that it was some madman with a DNA sample…though how that would work he had no idea…all he needed was another Davros on earth perfecting a new army of Daleks.

He grabbed Tallulah when he found her backstage. "Where are they? Rose and Martha, where did they go?"

"I don't know," Tallulah said hurriedly. "They ran off the stage."

Screams ripped through the corridor, and his blood ran cold as he raced toward the sound. He ended up in the props room again, but neither girl was visible.

"Rose?" he yelled. "Martha?"

His jaw clenched and his hands rolled into fists as cold fury overtook him. Both of them. The girl he was supposed to protect and the girl he couldn't live without. He growled and grabbed his coat before working the lid on the manhole.

"Oh, where are you goin'?" Tallulah asked as she found him.

"They've taken her," he said through clenched teeth. "Them. They've taken the girls."

"Who's taken them?" Tallulah asked, but he ignored her as he climbed down to the sewer. He hopped past the last few rungs and pulled out a torch, shining it down the tunnel. He looked up when he heard someone else on the ladder.

"No, no, no, no, no way," he said. "You're not coming."

"Tell me what's going on," Tallulah demanded.

"There's nothing you can do," he told her. "Go back."

"Look, whoever's taken them, they could've taken Lazlo, couldn't they?" Tallulah asked him, stepping off the ladder.

"Tallulah, you're not safe down here," he said, attempting to reason with her.

"Then that's my problem," she said stubbornly. "Come on. Which way?" She marched off down one of the tunnels.

"This way," he said with a sigh, glancing back just long enough to make sure she was following.

oOoOo

"No, let us go!" Martha yelled at the pig men holding her and Rose. They were shoved callously against a wall, both making "oomph" noises on impact.

"You okay?" Rose asked quickly, pulling her by the arm to look at her.

"Yeah, think so," she said, nodding. "You?"

Rose nodded quickly before scanning the area. She saw more pig men coming their way, herding a line of people. One of the men in the line—

"Martha!" Frank said.

"Frank!" Martha cried, leaping at him and hugging him hard. He held her back for a moment, looking up at Rose in confusion as to how they had gotten there as she approached. A pig man shoved her hard on the back.

"Yeah, alright," she spat out. "Come on," she said to the other two as she joined the line.

"Wait," Frank said. "Where are they taking us?"

"I don't know," Martha said, and Rose glanced back to see her clutching tightly to Frank's hand and wishing the Doctor was there. "But we can find out what's going on down here."

oOoOo

"When you say 'they've taken them', who's 'they' exactly?" Tallulah asked as they moved through the tunnels. "And who are you anyway? I never asked." The Doctor didn't respond, simply shushed her. "Okay. Okay."

"Shh, shh, shh."

He moved a little ahead of her, eyes peering into the murky dimness. He stiffened when he saw the shadow of a Dalek approaching.

"I mean you're handsome and all—" Tallulah started to say, and he whipped around, putting a hand over her mouth as he grabbed her and pulled her back down the tunnel and into a small recess in the wall. He kept a hold on her and watched as the Dalek trundled by them, a muscle in his jaw working furiously. He released Tallulah as soon as he was sure it was gone, moving back out into the tunnel.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," he murmured as he looked in the direction it had gone. Part of him, a big part of him, had really hoped that just this once, he'd gotten everything wrong. "They survived. They always survive, no matter what I lose..." he trailed off. "Rose," he whispered hoarsely. He muttered a stream of curses in several languages as he glared into the darkness.

"That metal thing?" Tallulah asked, distracting him. "What was it?"

"It's called a Dalek," he said, barely turning his head. "And it's not just metal, it's alive."

"You're kidding me," she said with a laugh.

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" he asked dangerously, turning to her with fire burning in his eyes briefly before he looked back down the tunnel. "Inside that shell is a creature born to hate, whose only thought is to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek too. It won't stop until it's killed every human being alive."

"But if it's not a human being, that kinda implies it's from outer space," Tallulah said, and he simply looked at her again. "Yet again, that's a "no" with the kidding. Boy…Well, what's it doin' here, in New York?"

oOoOo

Rose, Martha, and Frank were bunched together with the group they'd joined in the tunnels. Martha saw the wheels turning in Rose's head, but the blonde hadn't offered any solutions yet.

"What are they keeping us here for?" Frank asked.

"I don't know," Martha said. "But I've just got a nasty feeling that we're being kept in the larder."

The pig men around them started squealing nervously, and they looked around cautiously.

"What're they doing?" Frank asked. "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"No no no no no..." Rose whispered, the blood draining in her face as something that looked like a large pepper pot trundled into view.

"**SILENCE**," a grating, robotic voice ordered. "**SILENCE.**"

"What the hell is that?" Martha asked.

"Dalek," Rose muttered, venom dripping from the two syllables. "Most evil, hateful race in the entire universe. They caused Canary Wharf."

"**YOU WILL FORM A LINE,**" the Dalek ordered. "**MOVE.**"

The pig men moved forward and began shoving the prisoners into a line.

"Just do what it says, everyone, okay?" Martha told the group. "Just obey."

"**THE FEMALE IS WISE,**" the Dalek said. "**OBEY!**"

"**REPORT,**" ordered a second Dalek as it arrived.

"**THESE ARE STRONG SPECIMENS,**" the first said. "**THEY WILL HELP THE DALEK CAUSE.** **WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE FINAL EXPERIMENT?**"

"**THE DALEKANIUM IS IN PLACE,**" the second reported. "**THE ENERGY CONDUCTOR IS NOW COMPLETE.**"

"**THEN I WILL EXTRACT PRISONERS FOR SELECTION,**" the first said.

Rose's eyes narrowed a pig man brought an older man forward. The Dalek extended its plunger towards the man's face.

"**INTELLIGENCE SCAN INITIATE,**" it said. "**READING BRAIN WAVES. LOW INTELLIGENCE.**"

"You calling me stupid?" the man asked incredulously.

"**THIS ONE WILL BECOME A PIG SLAVE.**" the Dalek said, and two pig men began pulling him away.

"No, let go of me!" the man cried, and Rose put a hand on Martha's arm as she started in alarm. "I'm not becoming one of them!"

The Dalek moved on the next in line. "** INTELLIGENCE SCAN INITIATE.**"

"Any ideas?" Martha whispered as they continued to scan the others. Rose shook her head and shushed her, eyes trained on the Dalek as it moved quickly down the line to Frank, proclaiming him to be of superior intelligence before turning to Martha.

"**INTELLIGENCE SCAN INITIATE: SUPERIOR INTELLIGENCE.**" Rose took a deep breath as it moved on to her. "**INTELLIGENCE SCAN INITIATE: SUPERIOR INTELLIGENCE. THIS ONE WILL BECOME PART OF THE FINAL EXPERIMENT.**"

"**WAIT!**" the second Dalek commanded. "**THIS FEMALE IS RECOGNIZED AS A COMPANION OF THE DOCTOR, THE ENEMY OF THE DALEKS. SHE IS THE KILLER OF THE EMPEROR.**"

Martha's head whipped around to Rose, who was now smiling brightly at the Daleks.

"Did you miss me?" she asked, and Martha's jaw dropped.

"**THE DOCTOR,**" the Dalek in front of her said. "**WHERE IS HE? HAS HE FOLLOWED YOU? REPORT!**"

"Why?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. "Worried that he might ruin your little experiment?"

"**REPORT!**" the Dalek screamed again, rolling closer.

"D'you see him?" she hollered back. "Check out the visual evidence. He's not here, alright?"

The Dalek's eye stalk scanned over her face several times before it seemed moderately satisfied. "**THE PIG SLAVES WILL SECURE THIS FEMALE SEPARATELY.**"

Two pig slaves came forward and took a strong hold on each one of Rose's arms while Martha looked on in horror.

"You can't just experiment on people!" Martha cried finally. "It's insane! It's inhuman!"

"**WE ARE NOT HUMAN,**" the Dalek said. "**PRISONERS OF HIGH INTELLIGENCE WILL BE TAKEN TO THE TRANSGENIC LABORATORY.**"

With that, they trundled on, the pig slaves pulling Rose towards the front of the line. Martha took a deep breath before wrapping her arms around herself and stumbling along with the rest of the line.

"Just keep walking," said a voice behind her suddenly, and she glanced back to see the Doctor's tall frame behind her.

"I'm so glad to see you," she gasped. "Rose—"

"Yeah, I know," he growled, and Martha shuddered, remembering the look of fury on his face when she'd been taken in New New York, and realizing that had been nothing compared to this.

They were led into a lab, and Rose was thrust down to her knees in front of another black Dalek in the front of the room.

"**REPORT,**" the first Dalek they'd encountered ordered.

"**DALEK SEC IS IN THE FINAL STAGE OF EVOLUTION,**" another Dalek replied.

"**SCAN HIM,**" the first Dalek said. "**PREPARE FOR BIRTH.**"

"Evolution?" the Doctor asked.

"What's wrong with him?" Rose demanded from the front of the room. "What do you mean _evolution_? And, for that matter, what's this final experiment you keep going on about?"

"What's she doing?" Martha asked quickly.

"Trying to kill me," the Doctor groaned, scrubbing a hand down his face. "Well…that, and trying to find out what's going on."

"**YOU WILL BEAR WITNESS,**" the first Dalek said.

"To what?" Rose asked.

"**THIS IS THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE,**" the Dalek replied.

"Oh, blimey—A new age of _what_?" she asked, sounding impatient, and Martha glanced back to see the Doctor shaking his head in exasperation.

"**WE ARE THE ONLY FOUR DALEKS. THE SPECIES MUST EVOLVE A LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE SHELL,**" the Dalek said. "**THE CHILDREN OF SKARO MUST WALK AGAIN.**"

The black Dalek in the front of the room—Dalek Sec—stopped vibrating and powered down completely with a hum. The casing began to pull apart and open to reveal a hunched figure. The figure stumbled forward out of the casing before pulling itself upright. Martha took a step back and felt the Doctor's hand on her shoulder as she took in the tentacled head containing a singular eye and brain coming out the top. It's flesh was a strange grey-ish brown color and its hands were ridged and almost claw-like—and it was wearing Diagoras's suit.

"What is it?" Martha asked, horrified. Her voice sounded loud in the silent lab.

"I am a human Dalek," it said. "I am your future."


	24. Evolution of the Daleks Part 1

_**Sorry for not posting yesterday...busy weekend. Lots of domestics...the Doctor would be horrified. Anywho, no, I'm not dead, or sick anymore, or attempting to torture you, I promise-contrary to what my many PMs yesterday suggested. But I appreciate your concern :P**_

_**ALSO, holy cow, over 400 reviews? You guys are awesome sauce. Unbelievably great. Thank you so, so much for the reviews and the follows and the favorites!**_

_**And with that...more Daleks!**_

**oOoOo**

"These…humans will become like me," Dalek Sec declared. "Prepare them for hybridization."

The pig slaves holding Rose pulled her back to her feet, while the others advanced on the other prisoners.

"Leave me alone!" Rose heard Martha scream behind her while she continued to glare at the "human" Dalek. "Don't you dare!"

Suddenly, music started playing from somewhere, making everyone freeze as they looked around. Rose simply smiled.

"What is that sound?" Dalek Sec demanded.

"That would be me," the Doctor said, stepping into view and turning the radio down. "Hello. Surprise. Boo. Et cetera. You okay?" he asked Rose.

"Oh, you know, same old," she said, shrugging as much as she could. "We have to stop meeting like this."

"Mmm…yeah, I'll work on that," he said, scratching at the back of his head.

"Doctor," Dalek Sec spat.

"The enemy of the Daleks," one of them declared.

"Exterminate!" said another, advancing on him.

"Wait!" Dalek Sec ordered, putting up his hands.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and dropped his hand, burying both in his pockets. "Well, then. A new form of Dalek," he said, stepping forward slowly. "Fascinating…and very clever."

"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter," Sec told him.

"_His _slaughter," Rose said with a snort.

The Doctor cut a warning look at her before turning back to Sec. "How did you end up in 1930?"

"Emergency Temporal Shift," Sec replied.

"Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, yeah?" the Doctor said. He wandered around, glancing about the lab. "Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world but instead your skulking away…hidden in the dark…_experimenting_. All of which results in you."

"I am Dalek in human form," Sec said.

"What does it feel like?" he asked. "You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now."

"I…feel…humanity," Sec said slowly.

"Good," the Doctor said. "That's good."

"I…feel…everything we wanted from mankind," Sec continued, and Rose felt her hopes plummet. "Which is ambition, hatred, aggression and war. Such…a genius for war."

"No, that's not what humanity means," the Doctor said with a frown.

"I think it does," Sec said. "At heart, this species is so very…Dalek."

"All right, so what have you achieved then?" the Doctor asked derisively. "With this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! 'Cause I can show you what you're missing with this thing," he declared, pointing the at the radio. "Simple little radio," he added, patting it.

"**WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THAT DEVICE?**" one of the other Daleks asked.

"Well, exactly," the Doctor said with a shrug. "It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, with music, you can dance to it, sing with it…fall in love to it. Unless you're a Dalek of course. Then it's just noise."

He aimed the sonic screwdriver at the radio, which immediately began to emit a high-pitched wail. Sec and the pig men held their heads in pain, while the other Daleks began to trundle about erratically.

"Run!" the Doctor yelled to the other prisoners, grabbing Rose by the waist and pulling her along with him as the Daleks screamed to protect the hybrid.

They tore through the tunnels, Martha stopping again at a cross point in confusion before the Doctor blew past her, urging her and the others on. They took corners seemingly at random, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the Daleks as possible. They found Tallulah in one of the tunnels, and the Doctor yelled at her to follow, Rose and Martha grabbing her and pulling her along before she had a chance to protest.

"C'mon! Everyone up!" the Doctor yelled as he found a ladder, forcing everyone up ahead of him. They bolted for Hooverville as soon as they were all up top, not slowing until they reached the fire light in the shanty town, panting and gasping.

That was when the Doctor grabbed Rose and pulled her into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist and felt him shaking slightly as he pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Rose Tyler…you utterly ridiculous, completely brilliant girl," he breathed. "I swear you'll cause another regeneration yet."

"At least you didn't think I died this time," she offered weakly. He made an irritated noise and somehow managed to pull her tighter against him. "They survived, Doctor. They always survive, even when we lose everything." Her voice broke slightly with the last words, and he pulled away, putting a hand on her cheek and looking down at her intently, his eyes burning into hers.

"Not everything," he said with quiet ferocity before he pressed a firm kiss to her lips. He lifted his head after a moment, some of the fire in his eyes banked to a smolder as he ran his thumb over her cheekbone. "C'mon. I need to talk to Solomon…he's got to get everyone out of here before the Daleks come looking for them. Can you check on Martha and Tallulah?"

She nodded, and he pulled her over to the fire, where several of the escaped prisoners had already related versions of the events in the sewers.

"These Daleks," Solomon said as they approached, Rose moving to sit by the girls on crates. "They sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they wanna breed?"

"You two alright?" she whispered while the Doctor explained the situation.

"Yeah," Martha said as Tallulah nodded. "So…what are those things? You have history with them?"

"Oh...yeah," Rose said, letting out her breath in a whoosh. "Me and the Daleks go way back. They were supposed to be wiped out ages ago. But somehow, they keep coming back."

"I thought the Doctor was going to have a coronary when you started questioning them," Martha said, and Rose smiled. "Coronaries? Whatever."

"Nearly did," the Doctor said, hearing the last comment. "Rose likes to yell at Daleks, though. She's practically made a sport of it. But listen, Solomon, I'm sorry, you've got to scatter. Go anywhere. Down to the railroads, travel across state; just get out of New York."

"There's got to be a way to reason with these things," Solomon protested.

"There's not," Rose said. "There's ways to hide, or there's ways to die. They don't leave any other options."

"You ain't seen 'em, boss," Frank said. "I think…I think they might have a point."

"Daleks are bad enough at any time," the Doctor said. "But right now they're vulnerable and that makes them more dangerous than ever."

They heard a whistle and a shout from the edge of Hooverville, and turned toward it.

"A sentry," Solomon said. "Must have seen something."

"They're here!" the sentry cried, stumbled towards them. "I seen 'em! Monsters! They're monsters!"

"It's started," the Doctor said in a hard voice.

"We're under attack!" Solomon shouted. "Everyone to arms!"

"You know, I know you're against guns," Rose said, standing and stepping toward the Doctor. "But there are times I sincerely miss carrying at least a blaster."

He arched an eyebrow at her as the men around them started collecting guns and other weapons, while other residents attempted to flee.

"Come back!" Solomon shouted after the deserters. "We gotta stick together! It's not safe out there! Come back!"

"We need to get out of the park," Martha said.

"We can't!" the Doctor said tersely as people came running back toward them. "They're on all sides. They're driving people back towards us."

"We're trapped," Tallulah moaned.

"Then we stand together," Solomon said as the pig men drove them into a tight circle. "Gather 'round. Everybody come to me. You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together. They can't take all of us."

"If we can just hold them off till daylight," Martha said.

The Doctor looked up and took Rose's hand. "Oh, Martha, they're just the foot soldiers."

"Oh, my God," Martha whispered as a Dalek flew through the air towards them.

"What in this world—" Solomon started.

"It's the devil," a man said. "A devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation."

"Oh yeah?" Frank asked. "We'll see about that!"

He raised his rifle and fired several shots at the Dalek, but there was no effect on the target. Rose pushed forward and shoved the rifle down.

"Bullets don't work," she said quickly.

"There's more than one of them," Martha said fearfully as she and the Doctor pushed their way to Rose.

The two Daleks in the sky began zooming over Hooverville, shots from their death rays ringing out amidst the explosions they caused and the screaming of people injured or killed as they tried to escape.

"The humans will surrender," one of the Daleks said, hovering above the crowd.

"Leave them alone!" the Doctor shouted, stepping forward angrily. "They've done nothing to you!" Solomon took a step forward, but the Doctor tried to hold him back. "No, Solomon. Stay back."

"I'm told that I'm addressin' the Daleks, is that right?" Solomon asked, attempting to shake the Doctor off. "From what I hear, you're outcasts, too."

"Solomon, don't," the Doctor warned, his grip still tight on the other man.

"Doctor, this is my township, you will respect my authority," he ordered. "Just let me try." He pushed the Doctor away again, and he stepped back, shaking his head. "Daleks…ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin?" He set his rifle on the ground as a show of peace before continuing, and the Doctor's gaze flicked back and forth between him and Daleks. "'Cause, see, I've just discovered this past day God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh, yeah. Terrifies me. Right down to the bone. But it's got to give me hope…hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So I…I beg you now if you have any compassion in your hearts then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well…what do you say?"

"**EXTERMINATE!**" the Dalek said promptly.

"No!" Rose screamed when the death ray shot out, killing Solomon. The Doctor held her back with an arm around her waist.

"Oh, no!" Frank moaned, rushing to Solomon's side as the man dropped. "No! Solomon!"

"They killed him," Martha said in shock. "They just shot him on the spot."

The Doctor growled and pushed Rose behind him toward Martha before striding forward again.

"Daleks!" he yelled, furious now. "I'll repeat, these people have nothing to do with you. You came for me…well, you've got me. Do whatever you have to with me, but leave these people alone!"

"**I WILL BE THE DESTROYER OF OUR GREATEST ENEMY,**" the Dalek said, almost sounding pleased.

"Doctor!" he heard Rose shout behind him, and barely resisted the urge to turn around. No, if they were finally going to take him out, it was going to be on his terms, and he was going to face it head on.

"Forgive me," he said quietly before looking back up at the Dalek. "So come on, then! What are you waiting for?"

"**EXTERMIN-**" it started, but cut off. The Doctor stared at it, bewildered. "**I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. IT IS THE DOCTOR.**" It paused, obviously listening to someone else. "**WHAT OF THE KILLER OF THE EMPEROR?**" it asked the unknown other, its death ray moving vaguely in Rose's direction, and the Doctor stiffened, holding his breath. "**THE URGE TO KILL IS TOO STRONG.**" Another pause. "**I...OBEY,**" it said finally, lowering its death ray, and the Doctor's mouth dropped open.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"**YOU WILL FOLLOW,**" the Dalek said reluctantly.

"No!" Martha shouted, and he finally turned to the two girls who were travelling with him. "You can't go!"

Rose didn't say anything at first, her face a mix of fear and shock as her eyes flitted from him to the Dalek. He knew she was aware of just how extraordinary this change of events was, no matter how angry she might have been at him offering himself up.

"I've got to go," he said softly.

"I-I know," she said weakly, and he saw tears fill her eyes.

"No, but you can't!" Martha repeated, looking between them in horror.

"Martha, the Daleks just changed their minds," he said, turning to her. "Daleks never change their minds."

"But what about us?" Martha asked, gesturing to the group.

The Doctor raised his eyes and looked at the terrified faces, then spun back around to the Dalek.

"One condition!" he shouted. "If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?"

"**THE HUMANS WILL BE SPARED,**" the Dalek said after a moment. "**DOCTOR...FOLLOW.**"

"Then we're coming with you," Martha said, and he whirled around again.

"Martha, stay here with Rose," he said. "Do what you do best. People are hurt. You can help them."

"I hate this," Rose said as he turned to her, and he put a hand on her cheek.

"I know," he said softly. "But I'll be fine. I'll find you, I promise. Wherever you end up."

Without giving her a chance to question this, he moved his hand behind her head, holding her in place as he crashed his lips down on hers. He reached around her as he deepened the kiss, slipping the psychic paper in her back pocket before pulling her close. Hopefully, she'd figure it out soon, if she hadn't already. He broke the kiss before he was anywhere near ready, not wanting to test the Dalek's strange change of heart any further.

"I love you," he whispered, caressing her cheek.

"Always," she whispered back, and he pressed another quick kiss to her forehead before turning quickly and striding off after the Daleks.

oOoOo

Rose paced, fiddling with the psychic paper as Martha tended to another one of the wounded in Hooverville. He wanted her to get in somewhere, that's the only reason he could have had for giving it to her. Somewhere connected to the Daleks. But where?

"Here you go," Tallulah said, and Rose looked up to see her bringing in more sterile water. "I got some more on the boil."

"Thanks," Martha said quickly before turning back to the man she was tending to. "You'll be all right. It's just a cut. Try and keep it clean."

He murmured his thanks before moving off. Tallulah moved to lean up against the wall.

"So what about us?" Tallulah asked. "What do we do now?"

"The Doctor gave me his psychic paper," Rose said, bouncing the wallet on her lips. "Just need to figure out _why_."

"What's that for?" Tallulah asked.

"Gets you into places, buildings and things," Martha said. "But where? He must want us to go somewhere but what are we supposed to do?"

"Dunno yet," Rose said, pacing again. "C'mon, think...somewhere he already knew about, somewhere we'd need to go that would be guarded enough that we'd _need_ the psychic paper...where were we?" she asked suddenly, spinning around to the other two. "I mean where in the city? Where's that lab?"

"I dunno," Martha said with a shrug. "I couldn't keep track of any directions down there."

"Me neither," Tallulah said, sounding apologetic as Rose frowned. He'd already worked it out, but hadn't had time to say...

"Wait a minute," Martha said. "Down in the sewers the Daleks mentioned this…energy conductor."

"Right…" Rose said, thinking hard. What else had they said? "And…what was…the Dalekanium is in place. They created an energy conductor with Dalekanium. But where…oh…" she trailed off, her eyes unfocusing as another thought came to her. "Martha, let's go ask Frank what it was Diagoras had them working on."

They found Frank sitting huddled outside a tent, still crying over the loss of Solomon. Rose nudged Martha's shoulder and nodded at him.

"Frank?" Martha asked, approaching slowly.

"Hm?" the boy asked, looking up sharply and wiping at his face.

"That Mr. Diagoras, he was like some sort of fixer, yeah?" Martha asked. "Get you jobs all over town?"

"Yeah," Franks said. "He could find a profit anywhere."

"But where, though?" Martha asked. "What sort of things?"

"You name it," Frank said with a shrug. "We're all so desperate for work, you just hoped Diagoras would pick you for something good. Building work. That pays the best."

Rose cleared her throat, and Martha glanced at her. "But what sort of building work?" she asked Frank.

"Mainly building that," he said, pointing behind him. Rose nodded when she looked up at the Empire State building.

"Thought as much," she said. "Thanks, Frank. C'mon, Martha. Let's do some sightseeing."

"Now, hold on, I can't let you two venture out there alone," Frank protested, standing quickly.

"And you're not leaving me behind," Tallulah said.

Rose looked at between them and sighed. "C'mon then."

oOoOo

"I always wanted to go to the Empire State," Martha said as they rode the service elevator to the top floor. "Never imagined it quite like this, though." Rose grinned at her.

"Where are we headed anyway?" Frank asked.

"Straight to the top," Rose said. "Where they're still building. Whatever we're looking for has got to be somewhere up there."

"How come those guys just let us through?" Tallulah asked. "How's that thing work?"

"Psychic paper," Rose explained. "Says whatever I want it to say. According to this," she said, glancing at the paper, "we're two engineers and a couple of architects."

"Think I could borrow that when I go back home?" Martha asked with a smile. "Skip over the exams?"

Rose laughed, stuffing it back in her pocket as the elevator reached the top floor. They exited the elevator and fanned out into the room, looking for any clues as to how to stop the Daleks.

"Look at this pace," Tallulah said, looking around in wonder. "Top of the world."

Martha scanned the room, and spotted the architectural diagrams on display. She called for Rose, gesturing as she moved over to them.

"Okay, now this looks good," she said as Rose joined her.

"Hey, look at the date," Frank said, coming to look as well. "These designs were issued today. They must've changed something last minute."

"The Daleks changed something," Rose said. "What about the sheets underneath."

"They're all from before," Martha said, leafing through them. "That means whatever they changed must be on this top sheet but not these other ones. We need to check them against each other."

"The height of this place!" Tallulah said, walking slowly towards the edge. "This is amazing!"

"No wandering off," Rose ordered, glancing at her. "You fall from there, it's a long way down."

"I just wanna see," she said, and moved away.

Rose rolled her eyes and helped Martha take the sheets down and spread them on the ground. They leaned over and studied them carefully, looking for any differences between the old and newest diagram.

"I'll go and keep an eye out," Frank said. "Make sure we're safe up here. Don't want nobody buttin' in."

They nodded, neither looking up as he moved out a side door and Tallulah made her way back toward them.

"There's a hell of a storm movin' in," she commented as she knelt next to them.

"I wish the Doctor was here," Martha said. "He'd know what we're looking for."

"Probably already does," Rose muttered. "He always works things out in seconds, half the time before anyone even knows there's a problem. But what is it...gotta be up here...maybe..." she trailed off, peering at the drawings.

"So tell me, where did you and him first hook up?" Tallulah asked.

"He blew up my job," Rose said distractedly, moving between drawings. "Then took me to the end of the world."

"Classy," Tallulah said, and Rose grinned up at her. "What about you, Martha. How'd you join this gang?"

"It was in a hospital," she said. "Sort of."

"'Course, him bein' a doctor," Tallulah said.

"Martha's the doctor," Rose said without looking up.

"Yeah?" Tallulah asked, her brows raising in surprise. "You're a physician?"

"Well, kind of," Martha admitted. "I was training. Still am, if I ever get back home."

"I tell ya…the Doctor, the doctor, and the…" she trailed off, and Rose looked up at her with an arched brow, her lips twitching. "Well, I dunno what you are, but nothin' I'd wanna go up against."

"That's Rose in a nutshell," Martha said with a grin, and Rose looked back down, shaking her head.

"I gotta say, Rose," Tallulah said, "that was one hell of a kiss back there. If he does that all the time, you're one lucky girl." Martha snorted and Rose blushed furiously, but Tallulah sighed. "You got real possibilities with that one. Wish I could still say the same."

"Listen," Martha said. "If the Doctor's with Lazlo now, there's every chance that he could get him out."

"And then what?" she asked. "Don't talk crazy. There's no future for me and him. Those Dalek things took that away. The one good thing I had in my life and they destroyed it."

"I'm sorry, Tallulah," Rose said. The other girl nodded, tears in her eyes, and stood again, moving away as she sniffled. Rose and Martha exchanged a sad look before turning back to the plans.

"Gotcha!" Martha said suddenly, stabbing a finger at the diagram, and Rose looked over her shoulder. "Look...there, on the mast. Those little lines? They're new. They've added something, see?"

"Dalekanium," Rose said. "Of course, perfect place to harness energy and send it straight down to the lab. Oh, Martha Jones, you are brilliant!" she cried, throwing her arms around the girls neck.

"Yeah, but now what?" Martha asked. "What are we going to do about it?"

"That's…a really good question," she said uncertainly. She stood up and helped Martha gather up the sheets as she thought hard, trying to figure out how to get the Dalekanium _off_ the mast and wishing again for a sonic…something of her own. She looked up when she heard the bell ding for the lift and froze, unsure what to expect.

"Doctor!" Martha cried as the doors opened.

"First floor, perfumery," he said with a smile as Rose launched herself at him, barely aware that Lazlo and Tallulah were headed for a similar greeting, pig face or not. "Hello," he said, squeezing her tight.

"Hello," she laughed, pulling away enough to kiss him hard. "We really need to work on your self-sacrificial tendencies," she added when she broke the kiss.

"Yeah, one day," he agreed. "What'd you find?"

"We worked it out," Martha said as Rose pulled him over to look at the plans. "We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast. And it's good to see you too, by thy way," she added with a smile.

"Oh, come here," he said with a grin, grabbing her in a bear hug and spinning her around, only to drop her abruptly when the bell for the lift made another ding and the door closed.

"No, no, no!" he cried, darting over to it and attempting to use his sonic screwdriver on the panel beside it before cursing and banging on it. "It's a deadlock seal. I can't stop it."

"Where's it going?" Martha asked.

"Right down to the Daleks," he said. "And they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?"

"11:15," Frank supplied.

"Six minutes to go," the Doctor said. "I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits."

"Gammon radiation?" Tallulah asked. "What the heck is that?"

Rose led him outside to the scaffolding, the other three trailing behind. She saw him get a little pale as he looked out on the city and bit her lip.

"Oh, that's high," he said. "That's very—Blimey, that's high."

"Yeah, and we've got to go higher," Rose said. "The Dalekanium's all the way at the top, on the mast. See?" she asked, pointing higher. "There's three pieces attached to the base, and we've to get them off in...six minutes did you say?"

"Oh, probably closer to five now," he said, looking up. "But listen, that's not 'we'. That's just me."

"No, you're not going to leave me down here to just watch—"

"No, Rose," he said quickly. "But I've got to go up there, and the Daleks are coming up here. You're going to have to fight. I'm sorry. I think it'll just be the pig slaves, so you might have a chance."

Rose took a deep breath, then nodded. "Be careful," she warned.

"You too," he said. "And you, Martha…watch out for each other, yeah?"

"Yeah," Martha said.

He nodded and looked down at Rose again for a moment. He made frustrated noise, then leaned down to kiss her quickly before spinning around and starting his climb. Rose watched for a moment before making her way back inside.


	25. Evolution of the Daleks Part 2

_**Yay, last part! Yeah, neither of these episodes warranted three parts, but it's okay...it all got covered. And now it's over, and we can move on to bigger and better things. Huzzah! I am glad to hear that people have enjoyed these chapters despite my complaints about the episodes themselves...I did have more fun writing them than I had watching them, and I loved reading your reviews of them, as always :)**_

**oOoOo**

"Alright, come on, everyone grab any kind of weapon you can find," she said, picking up a pipe and testing its weight in her hand. "They'll be up any minute."

"The lift's coming up," Martha said as the lift made another ding, and they arranged themselves in a line in front of the lift.

"I shoulda brought that gun," Frank said.

"Tallulah, stay back," Lazlo said, pushing her behind him. "You and Martha too, Rose. If they send pig slaves, they're trained to kill."

"Yeah, well, I've had some training too," Rose said tersely. "And I'm fairly certain that Martha's here's no pushover either."

"They're savages," Lazlo argued. "I should know. They're trained to slit your throat with their bare teeth."

Before they could protest more, Lazlo gasped and collapsed to the floor, Tallulah dropping to his side immediately.

"Lazlo?" she asked, her eyes going over him. "What is it?"

"No, it's nothing," he said, struggling to stand. "I'm fine. Just leave me."

He fell back to the floor and leaned against a wall, and Tallulah put a hand to his forehead.

"Oh, honey, you're burnin' up," she said. "What's wrong with you? Tell me."

"One man down and we ain't even started yet," Frank muttered.

"It's not looking good," Martha said.

"Nope," Frank replied.

"We're gonna get slaughtered," she said.

Rose glanced at them in worry, then heard the thunder outside and turned. "Martha?" she asked. "Remember when you first met us, how we told you about our mate Ben?"

"What?" Martha asked, confused as she followed Rose's gaze, then realization hit. "Wait a minute. Lightning."

They ran together to the other end of the room, Frank following quickly.

"Come on," Rose told him. "These metal rods, if can connect them from out here to the lift, then the lightning strike should take out the lift and anyone in it."

Frank nodded, and the three of them set to work arranging the rods across the room, making sure they were touching each other but not the floor.

"Aw, you'll be all right, sweetheart. Don't you worry," Tallulah was saying sweetly to Lazlo before rounding on them. "What the hell are you clowns doin'?"

"Even if the Doctor stops the Dalekanium, this place is still gonna get hit," Martha explained. "Great big bolt of lightning, electricity all down this building. Connect this to the lift and they get zapped."

"Oh my God, that could work," she said in surprise, and Rose rolled her eyes.

"Then give us a hand," Frank said.

They worked quickly for another few minutes until the rods reached the lift, stepping back to examine their handiwork when finished.

"Is that gonna work?" Tallulah asked doubtfully.

"It's got to," Rose said with a shrug.

"I've got it all piped up to the scaffolding outside," Frank said, and she nodded.

"Come here, Frank," Martha said. "Sit in the middle and don't touch anything metal."

They huddled in a corner of the room, away from the metal as they watched the lift come ever closer...then heard something slip. Rose cursed as they all turned to the rods in horror, jumping up and sprinting over to the one that had slipped out of place.

"Rose, you can't!" Martha yelled at her.

"Won't work if I don't!" she yelled back, pulling the rod back into place just as the elevator dinged open. She started to back away, but the lightening hit while she was still close, blasting her off her feet and several feet across the room. Martha stared in horror at her friend, even as the pig slaves began to fall in the lift from the electric current. As soon as it was over, she scuttled over to Rose.

"Rose, can you hear me?" she asked, looking her friend over and checking for a pulse. "Oh god...if you die the Doctor's gonna _kill_ me." Rose groaned, and Martha let out a breath of relief. "Hiya," she said cheerily, if a little brokenly.

"Hi," Rose said. "We survived, then?"

"Yeah, thanks for that," Martha said weakly.

"All roasted," Frank said from his place at the lift, checking on the pig slaves.

"Mmm," Rose managed, nodding, then sat up straight. "The Doctor."

She scrambled to her feet and rushed outside, Frank and Martha in hot pursuit. She climbed up the ladder and froze when she saw the sonic screwdriver lying on the scaffolding. She shook herself quickly, picking it up and shoving it in her pocket before proceeding to climb up the side of the scaffolding. He had to be alright. He had to be. There was no way he could be—he _had_ to be alright.

She made her way onto the platform at the top of the scaffolding, scrambling over to where the Doctor was lying unconscious and kneeling beside him.

"Doctor!" she cried, looking him over, relieved when she still felt the double pulse. "Found your sonic. You should really be more careful. You know you're useless without it. Oh...please wake up..."

She grinned when he groaned, the sound music to her ears. "Oh…my head."

"Hello," she said happily.

"Hello," he said, smiling weakly at her as he raised a hand to brush her hair back, and she held his hand in place as she turned her head to press a kiss to the inside of his wrist.

"God, the pair of you," Martha said in exasperation, shaking her head. "It's like you're not having any fun if you don't risk your life at least once. Also...I can't help noticing….there's Dalekanium still attached."

The Doctor sat up with a grunt of effort, looking at the mast. "Right...had a small problem with that. C'mon," he added, getting to his feet and beginning the climb down the scaffolding, the other three following closely.

"What did she mean, the pair of us?" the Doctor asked suspiciously as Rose hopped down off the ladder next to him.

"Oh...nothing," she said evasively. "Had some trouble down here, but it's sorted."

"Sorted," Martha snorted as she joined them. "I like that. As if you weren't electrocuted and blown off your feet."

"You what?" the Doctor asked, eye widening as his brows shot up.

"It was nothing," she said, shooting a look at Martha. "Was just a bit too close to the metal when the lightning struck is all. I'm fine."

He looked into the room and saw the metal rods lined up all the way to the lift…which was filled with dead pig slaves. That was one way to fix it. But if she had been near the metal…chances were, if someone more human, like Martha, had tried that, she'd be far more injured. Rose had gotten lucky. He shook his head in irritation.

"Rose..." he started in a voice that meant an annoyed lecture was forthcoming, but she cut him off at the pass.

"And that wasn't you unconscious up there, I suppose?" Rose asked pointedly, revealing that although she wasn't yelling at him, she was far from thrilled. "More to focus on at the moment that our mutual irritation at each other's disregard for self-preservation, yeah?"

He let his breath out in a whoosh, running a hand through his hair as he spun back around to look out at the city. She annoyed the hell out of him sometimes…but she also had a point, loathe though he was to admit it.

"The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing," he explained as the others joined him. "They'll be using the sewers, spreading their soldiers out underneath Manhattan."

"How do we stop them?" Lazlo asked.

"There's only one chance," he said. "I got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping though me first."

"But what does that mean?" Martha asked as he went striding back into the room.

"We need to draw fire," he said. "Before they can attack New York, I need to face them." He stopped, scrubbing a hand down his face and then through his hair again. "Think, think, think, think. We need some sort of space, somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way. Tallulah!" he shouted suddenly, spinning around to her.

"That's me," she said automatically. "Three Ls and an H."

"The theatre," he said. "It's right above them, and, what, it's gone midnight? Can you get us inside?"

"Don't see why not," she said with a shrug.

He spun around again, taking in the dead pig slaves in the lift. Not gonna work, then. "Is there another lift?"

"We came up in the service elevator," Rose told him, turning and rushing toward it.

"That'll do," he said, following her. "Allons-y!"

They piled into the lift, and Rose turned to Martha, who had her arms wrapped around herself tightly.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Martha said, a bit too quickly, before glancing up at her. "It's just...those pig slaves. They used to be like Lazlo. They used to be people. And I killed them."

"No, you didn't," Lazlo assured her as Rose put an arm around her shoulders. "The Daleks did that a long time ago."

"He's right, Martha," the Doctor said quietly. "If you hadn't come up with that, they might very well have killed all of you."

"Besides, you weren't the only one who thought of it," Rose reminded her. "Remember, me and my mate Ben?" She paused, rubbing the girl's arm. "I know it's hard, but you can't let the guilt get you too much. They didn't give us a choice...we did what we had to."

Martha nodded, taking a deep breath and standing up straighter as the lift stopped at the ground floor. They bundled out, hurrying out of the building and through the city towards the theater.

oOoOo

"This should do it," the Doctor said, climbing over the seats and waving his sonic screwdriver. "Here we go."

"There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theatre in the dark," Tallulah said, shivering as she pulled her coat tighter around her.

"We could be in a morgue full of ghosts," Rose mused, watching the Doctor scan the theater. "Or an old house being chased by a werewolf. Or in a pit talking to the Devil. Or—"

"Alright, I get it, yeesh," Tallulah said, holding up her hands. "The theater's not so bad." She looked over as Lazlo fell into one of the chairs beside her. "Lazlo, what's wrong?" she asked in concern, sitting beside him.

"Nothing," he said, wheezing a little. "It's just so hot."

"But…it's freezing in here," Tallulah said, frowning. "Doctor, what's happening to him?"

"Not now, Tallulah," the Doctor said, listening to the frequency on the sonic. "Sorry."

"We'll try to sort him out later," Rose said, but caught the Doctor's look as she turned to him and wondered if he'd be able to help Lazlo at all.

"What are you doing?" Martha asked.

"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll wanna find their number one enemy," he said, raising the sonic screwdriver above his head. "I'm just telling them where I am."

"So the Daleks are coming here?" Rose asked, looking around.

"Yeah," he said, his voice going all squeaky like it did when he was telling really obvious half-truths. Rose looked up at him sharply, and he glanced at her before looking back up at the sonic. "Them...and the human Dalek army they've raised..."

"Oh, that's just...fantastic," Rose said sarcastically. "How're we supposed to fight against them?"

"We're not," he said. "I'm hoping that getting in the way of that gamma radiation will make the whole plan backfire on them...but it could get dicey," he added, stepping down from seat he'd been standing on. "You two should—"

"Don't you dare," Rose said, glaring up at him. "It's one thing to follow Daleks that spared your life or to split up because we can't both be in two places at once, but I am not going to leave you here alone in the middle of a human Dalek army."

"Rose—"

He was cut off as the theater doors burst open and a stream of human Daleks flowed into the aisles on either side of them, flanking them and cutting them off from the exits. The Doctor cursed quietly as he spun around to watch them.

"Well I guess that's them then, huh?" Tallulah asked in a frightened voice.

"Humans," Martha said. "With Dalek DNA?"

Frank moved to attack them, but the Doctor grabbed him quickly, holding him back.

"It's all right," he said. "Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them."

"But what about the Dalek masters?" Lazlo asked. "Where are they?"

"Can't be too far behind," Rose said, glancing around. "Dicey, you said?"

"Could be, yeah," he replied, not taking his eyes off the army.

An explosion from the stage made them all duck behind the seats. Rose peered over the seats at the stage to see two of the Daleks trundle forward through the smoke, Sec chained and crawling on all fours between them. She glanced at the Doctor as he stood slowly and followed suit, the others rising slowly with her.

"The Doctor will stand before the Daleks," one of them ordered. Rose grabbed his hand, and he squeezed briefly before stepping over a chair and walking forward over the backs of the rows until he reached the front row, balancing on the armrests to gain height as he stared them down. "You will die, Doctor," the Dalek continued. "It is the beginning of a new age."

"Planet Earth will become New Skaro," the other Dalek declared.

"Oh, and what a world," the Doctor said derisively. "With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec," he said, gesturing to the now pitiful human Dalek hybrid. "Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is that your new empire? Hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?"

"Listen to him," Sec urged, and Rose had enough.

"Bit rich, Sec," Rose spat, standing on a chair herself as the Doctor's head whipped around to look at her. "You're such the martyr now. But how many have suffered the same fate because of you? How many families have been ripped apart for the sake of Dalek supremacy? How many victims have fallen? How many _millions_ have wept in front of the Daleks and been shown no mercy?"

"Rose—" the Doctor started, his voice filled with fear and warning.

"She's correct," Sec gasped out, and they both turned to him in shock. "My Daleks…just understand this...if you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you."

Rose stared. This was the same Dalek that, twice now for her, had been the leader of a plot that had taken nearly everything from her in one way or another. She couldn't quite wrap her mind around the fact that he was now urging change and spouting enlightenment. Judging by the Doctor's rigid stance, he was still struggling with it as well.

"Incorrect," the first Dalek said. "We will always survive."

"Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor," said the other.

"But he can help you," Sec said.

"The Doctor must die," said the first.

"No, I beg you, don't," Sec said, crawling in front of one of it.

"Exterminate!" said the other, and the first fired—just as Sec struggled to his feet. Rose's hands went to her mouth as the leader fell, and she let Martha tug her back down to the floor.

"Your own leader," the Doctor said in disgust. "The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him. Do you see what they did?" he asked, turning to the human Daleks. "Huh? You see what a Dalek really is? If I'm gonna die, let's give the new boys a shot. What do you think, eh? The Dalek-Humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptize them," he said, holding his arms out.

"What's he doing?" Martha whispered, but Rose simply shook her head, her eyes flitting between the Doctor, the Daleks, and the human Daleks to either side quickly. He said the plan would backfire on them. How was offering himself up to them _again_ going to accomplish that?

"Dalek-Humans, take aim," one of the Daleks said, and the human Daleks collectively cocked their weapons and aimed at the Doctor while Rose watched powerlessly, one hand on her mouth and one held tightly by Martha.

"What are you waiting for?" the Doctor taunted. "Give the command!"

"Exterminate!" the Dalek ordered, and Rose closed her eyes, bowing her head. After a moment in silence, she looked up again slowly to see the Doctor still standing tall. She looked around, confused. "Exterminate!" the Dalek ordered again, but still nothing happened.

"Obey," the first Dalek ordered. "Dalek-Humans will obey!"

"Not firing," Martha said in amazement. "What have you done?"

"He got in the way," Rose said slowly in astonishment, looking back at the Doctor. "And it's backfiring…"

"You will obey," the Dalek screamed. "Exterminate."

"Why?" one of the human Daleks near the front asked, and all eyes snapped to him.

"Daleks do not question orders," the first Dalek said.

"But why?" the man asked again.

"You will stop this," the Dalek ordered.

"But…why?" the man repeated, this time looking up at the Doctor, who slowly lowered his arms, watching the man.

"You must not question!" the Dalek commanded.

"But you are not our master," the man said. "And we…we are not Daleks."

"No, you're not," the Doctor said just loud enough for them to hear. "And you never will be." He turned back to the Daleks, relaxing his stance as he buried his hands in his pockets. "Sorry, I got in the way of the lightning strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom."

"If they will not obey, then they must die," one of the Daleks said, shooting the man who had questioned them.

"Get down!" the Doctor yelled, and they all ducked quickly behind the seats as the Daleks and their creations fired at each other. There were screams as the human Daleks fell around them, then explosions as the Daleks on stage were defeated. When the shooting finally stopped, they cautiously stood up again.

"It's all right," the Doctor said, moving over to the hybrids. "It's all right. It's all right. You did it. You're free." He smiled a little, but then looked horrified as a high pitched whine was heard and all the hybrids clutched their heads. "No!" the Doctor yelled. "They can't! They can't! They can't!"

"What happened?" Rose asked quickly, kneeling next to him beside one of the bodies. "What the hell was that?"

"They killed them," the Doctor said, shocked and furious. "Rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide."

"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed," Lazlo noted quietly. "One of the Dalek masters must still be alive."

"Oh, yes," the Doctor said, his face hard. "In the whole universe, just one."

He stalked back up the aisle and grabbed his coat, shrugging into it as rage boiled in him. Rose hurried to his side, putting a hand on his arm. He looked down at her briefly, a muscle working furiously in his jaw, before he swallowed hard and turned away, striding out of the theater. She watched him for a moment before going back to help the other girls assist Lazlo up and out of the building, following the Doctor back to the lab. They were silent as they made their way through the city, ending up in the lab in time to hear the Doctor attempt to reason with the last Dalek in existence. Rose's eyes closed when she heard the temporal shift and the Doctor's angry growl. They always survived.

"Doctor!" Martha called, distracting her as the other two girls pulled Lazlo further into the lab. "Doctor, he's sick." Martha and Tallulah gently lowered him to the floor, Tallulah cradling his head in her lap as the Doctor approached slowly and knelt next to the stricken man. "It's his heart. It's racing like mad. I've never seen anything like it."

"What is it, Doctor?" Tallulah asked fearfully. "What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe? What is it?"

"It's time, sweetheart," Lazlo said softly, and Rose saw the Doctor give him a sad look. She felt a growing sense of dread that this one might be beyond even him.

"What do you mean "time"?" Tallulah asked. "What are you talking about?"

"None of the slaves …survive for long," Lazlo said slowly. "Most of them only live a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on 'cause I had you. But now…I'm dyin', Tallulah."

"No you're not," Tallulah said forcefully. "Not now, after all this. Doctor, can't you do somethin'?"

"Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H…" the Doctor said sadly, then took a deep breath as the fight came back to him. "Just you watch me." He stood quickly, removing his coat and tossing it aside. "What do I need? Oh, I don't know. How about a great big genetic laboratory? Oh look, I've got one," he said, grinning as he put his arms out expansively before running around the lab, mixing up some concoction. "Lazlo, just you hold on. There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age-old enemies. And I'm tellin' you, I'm tellin' you right now, I am not having one more death! Got that? Not one! Tallulah, out of the way," he ordered quickly, taking his stethoscope out of his pocket and putting it on. "The Doctor is in."

oOoOo

"Do you reckon it's gonna work, those two?" Martha asked as they once again stood at the edge of Liberty Island, looking out across the bay at Manhattan.

The Doctor had managed to at least stabilize Lazlo, even though he couldn't restore him, and Frank had convinced the people of Hooverville to give him a home. Tallulah had been thrilled, and had been spending all her time cuddling up to him without worry of his appearance now. Love had conquered all, it seemed.

"I don't know," the Doctor said. "Anywhere else in the universe, I might worry about them, but New York, that's what this city's good at."

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses..." Rose murmured.

"And maybe the odd pig-slave-Dalek-mutant-hybrid too," the Doctor added with a wink, and she laughed, rolling her eyes at him.

"The pig and the showgirl," Martha said with a laugh.

"The pig and the showgirl," the Doctor repeated with a smile.

"Just proves it, I suppose," Martha said, and they looked at her curiously. "There's someone for everyone."

The Doctor looked down at Rose for a moment, his face unreadable, before he swallowed hard and pulled her closer to press a kiss to her hair before looking out at the skyline again.

"Maybe," he said softly as Rose rested her head on his shoulder. The uncertainty of the word confused Martha, making her wonder again what had been going through his mind that day a few weeks ago when he'd looked so sad and thoughtful. She shook herself as the other two turned away and headed back toward the TARDIS, following behind.

"Meant to say…sorry," she said as they approached the ship.

"What for?" the Doctor asked, confused.

"Just 'cause that Dalek got away," she said. "Think you'll ever see it again?"

"Oh yes," he said as Rose unlocked the TARDIS. "One day."

"We always do," Rose said bitterly as they stepped inside. "Oh, by the way…" He turned to her curiously after throwing his coat over a coral strut.

_Slap._

Martha's jaw dropped when she saw him stagger back from the monumental slap Rose had given him across the face.

"What was that for?" he demanded, holding a hand to his cheek.

"That was for not once, not twice, but _three bloody times_ doing something _monumentally_ stupid and damn near suicidal you stupid bloody Time Lord _git_," she growled as she advanced on him, and his brows furrowed as he swallowed hard. Then she grabbed his lapels and pulled him down for a hard kiss. He seemed to freeze for a moment before his arms went around her, holding her tightly against himself as the kiss went on. Martha was about to leave when Rose suddenly broke the kiss, stepping away from him and leaving him looking a little dazed.

"And…and that?" he asked, his voice squeaky.

"That's for being brilliant enough to know all of it would work," she said walking towards the console. He followed her after a moment, casting a slightly embarrassed glance at Martha before maneuvering them into the Vortex, Rose leaning against the console next to him. Martha moved to the jump seat and studied the pair thoughtfully.

"Doctor, how come you're their number one enemy?" she asked suddenly, and the other two both raised their eyes to look at her. "I mean, they said that more than once, and they certainly wanted you dead, even more than anyone else. Why?"

He glanced at Rose briefly before returning his gaze to her. "That war...the one Rose mentioned? The Daleks were the ones my people fought. Those four...well, not just those four, but particularly those four...they managed to escape."

"Like you?" she asked.

He hesitated, looking down at the console. "No, not like me. They fled into the Void."

"How did you escape?" she asked. She didn't miss the way Rose opened her mouth to say something, or the way she shut it again and looked at the Doctor in concern. He was looking at the console, stiff with tension. "Doctor?"

"I ended it," he said quietly. "I survived because I ended it. Everyone else died."

"What did you—" she started to ask, but stopped when she saw Rose's warning look.

"Anyway," the Doctor said loudly, looking up again. "So that was New York, 1930. On the other side of the grand old US of A, fellow by the name of Charles Chaplin has become a big name, and is, right now, finishing production of his film City Lights, due out early next year. What do you say we go see if he wants a hand, hmm?"

"Sounds good to me," Rose said with a smile.

They chattered happily, and Martha shook her head in disbelief. She didn't think she'd ever understand the Doctor's whiplash inducing mood-shifts, or Rose's ability to follow them. As they landed in sunny California, though, she decided that she had better things to think about at the moment than the Doctor's haunted past…which, she realized, was probably exactly his plan.


	26. Masochist

_**Ah, Doctor. Nothing like dwelling on angst in your down time. As stated before...old habits die hard, and the Doctor is very, very bad at being happy...he's easily his own worst enemy in *so* many ways. It certainly doesn't help when people show up in his life out of order and completely catch him off guard.**_

**oOoOo**

The Doctor prowled restlessly through the corridors of the TARDIS, his thoughts keeping him from relaxing like he used to while Rose slept. The thoughts that had been torturing him the last few weeks and months scorched through his mind, compounded by the fury brought on by facing the Daleks yet again. And not just any Daleks, oh no, the same bloody four who, mere months ago, had been an integral part of the crisis that had once succeeded in ripping Rose from her, just long enough to make them both miserable and nearly destroy them. She'd come back and survived this time, barely, but it didn't diminish from the fact that without them, she wouldn't have had to.

_Killer of the Emperor._

He ran a hand through his hair distractedly. That was the thing. All the things that had been seeping into his mind about Rose were thrown in stark relief after seeing them again, because everything led back to them. Daleks had been the foe when she'd made that fateful decision to take in the Vortex to save his life and doom her own. Between them, he and the Daleks had stolen from her any chance of a human life. All the thorns that had begun to prick at him shortly after dealing with Lazarus were starting to grow and gouge at him. How long until she started seeing it too? Before she started realizing what a complete mess he'd made of her life simply by entering it?

And this, all this, was even disregarding the growing problem in his mind. That burning ache, the one that throbbed at the best of times and blazed every time they made love was steadily becoming worse. He hadn't expected that. He knew it would be…bothersome to be with her so completely without being able to create that bond, but it had been tolerable at first. He hadn't realized that it would get so much worse as time progressed, how painful it would be to resist attempting to reach out for her mentally. It didn't help that the Face of Boe's words kept running through his mind, torturing him with possibilities that were out of his grasp. He'd been wrong about everything. There was no one to fill that void for the Doctor—no Time Lords, and certainly not Rose. Her human mind simply wouldn't sustain that.

His eyes narrowed as he was hit with random recollections. The way she'd locked her mind away on New Earth, driving him mad for months because humans couldn't do that. The way she'd buried herself in the library, subsequently making observations well beyond her knowledge base. The way she could very nearly keep up with his thought processes most of the time now. The way she'd been able to sense the psychic energy used by the Carrionites.

He shook his head roughly. No.

Even if, by some infinitesimally small chance, her mind was able to sustain a telepathic bond, he wouldn't put her through that…he couldn't. To see him in that moment as he truly was, exposed beyond the shadows, all his guilt and yet untold sins revealed, it would break her, drive her away—but by then, it would be too late. Neither of them would be able to escape. No, a permanent telepathic bond was not something he could risk for either of them, regardless of how much the craving for it might hurt.

It was slowly occurring to him that simply having a matching lifespan might not be enough to keep them together forever. The slow accumulation of regret, guilt and pain would take its toll, and they'd fall apart. He just wasn't the person for anyone. He wondered now if it really would have been better, when she came back, had she simply walked away and saved them both from a glittering future of fragile glass, just waiting to shatter.

"There you are," came a sleepy voice behind him, and he froze, hands buried in his pockets and closing his eyes briefly as he struggled to gain control over his warring emotions. He just couldn't delve into any of this with her. Not yet. He took a deep breath and pivoted around to face her.

"Hello," he said softly.

"Hello," she said with a smile. "You alright? You disappeared on me." He nodded, but she studied him suspiciously in a way that never failed to unnerve him. "The Daleks?"

He scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "They do have a habit of making our lives difficult, don't they?"

"I'm sorry," she said, stepping closer to run a hand over his other arm, her eyes full of sympathy and understanding.

"Yeah," he said weakly, watching her as he dropped his hand back to his side. No matter what, she always managed to make his hearts skip a beat and his breath hitch. He loved her more completely than he'd ever thought possible…which was why all the things he couldn't tell her hurt so much, all the fear and doubt about their future. "Rose…are you happy?"

She stared at him for a second. "Of course I am. I have you, I have the TARDIS, I have a new friend…" she trailed off, frowning as her eyes raked over his face. "Doctor, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Just…making sure."

She narrowed her eyes a little. "Whatever's going on in that big Time Lord brain of yours, just stop it," she said, stepping closer and raising her hand to the back of his neck as he arched an eyebrow at her. "As long as I have you, I'm happy. I love you."

"Rose…" He wanted to tell her how much happier she would have been if she hadn't met him, if she'd never travelled with him, never had to do the things she'd done or change the way she had…but he couldn't. Selfish though it might be, he wanted to pretend for a little longer that it could work, that it didn't hurt. He wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned down to press his lips to hers, pushing the guilt, the fear, the doubts, the burn, everything that told of how impossible they still were into the back of his mind, as far as possible. He groaned when she nipped at his bottom lip, spinning them both around and pinning her against the wall as he plunged his tongue into her open mouth, her hands raking through his hair as his hands skimmed down her sides to grasp her hips firmly. She moaned against his lips, and he broke the kiss only to pick her up and carry her back to his bedroom. Masochistic though it was, he intended to surround himself with the one person who could make the universe stop, who could make the timelines and accompanying pain fade into the background, who could make him feel whole and healed…for as long as possible.

oOoOo

A week after the episode with the Daleks, the Doctor and his two female companions were piling breathlessly into a taxi in London. They were after eggs that had been stolen from the royal hatchery on Hroltog 9 by a profiteering Lizard who specialized in dealing with rare breeds on the black market. He had chosen to hide on Earth while finding a buyer, but the Hroltogian monarchy was convinced that the people of Sol 3 were somehow accomplices in his scheme and were therefor ready to declare war on the planet. As if this wasn't bad enough, when they finally managed to track down the Lizard, they found that he himself had been robbed by a mob of Turayans while they stopped on Earth briefly during their migration across the galaxy. He begged for their help, because he apparently found a buyer who took terminal offense to people who couldn't deliver on their promises. So now they had to find the eggs before Turayans left the planet…and before they hatched prematurely…and before the Lizard's buyer sent extraterrestrial mercenaries into the streets of London on a lizard-hunt…and before the Hroltogian monarchy lost their patience and started blasting the planets to bits. So, basically, average day for them.

The Doctor jumped out as soon as the taxi rolled to a stop in front of some kind of shop, spinning around to hold the door open for Rose and Martha as they moved to exit the vehicle.

"C'mon, ladies," he urged, adjusting the bow over his back and jiggling his leg impatiently. "Time's a-wastin!"

"You know, for someone with a time machine, you seem to cut a very close deadline incredibly often," Martha commented grumpily as they stepped out and hurried down the street.

"I swear all that stuff about established events is made up," Rose muttered in agreement. "He just likes to be impressive."

"Oi!" the Doctor cried. "I'm quite impressive enough without having to exacerbate situations with needless time crunches, thank you."

"Yeah, whatever," Rose said.

"Doctor!" a voice called, and he and Rose both turned, confused, to see a blonde woman rushing towards them from the shop.

"Hello!" the Doctor said with a smile. "Sorry, bit of a rush, there's a sort of thing happening, fairly important we stop it."

"My God, it's you," the blonde said, looking stunned. "It really is you. Oh, you don't remember me, do you?"

"We don't have time for this," Martha said, hurrying back to them.

"She's right, Doctor," Rose said reluctantly, tearing her eyes from the woman. "Migration's started."

The Doctor nodded, but hesitated. "Look, sorry, I've got a bit of a complex life. Things don't always happen to me in order. Gets confusing, especially at weddings, I'm rubbish at weddings, especially my own."

"Well, this one seemed to turn out alright," the woman said, glancing at Rose with a smile.

"I'm sorry?" he asked, leaning toward her a little as he stared at her, thunderstruck.

"Oh, my God!" she cried in sudden realization. "Of course, you're a time traveler. It hasn't happened yet! None of it, it's still in your future!"

"What hasn't happened?" he asked, glancing from her to Rose in alarm.

"Doctor!" Martha broke in. "Twenty minutes to red hatching!"

"It was me," the woman said. "Oh, for God's sake, it was me all along. You got it all from me!"

"Got what?" he asked her.

"Okay. Listen," said the woman, holding out a purple folder. "One day you're going to get stuck in 1969. Make sure you've got this with you. You're going to need it."

"Doctor," Rose urged, tugging on his arm as he took the folder with the other hand.

"Yeah, listen..." he said, glancing between them again. "Listen, got to dash...things happening. Well, four things. Well, four things and a lizard."

"Okay," the woman said quickly. "No worries, on you go. See you around, some day."

He turned and they started jogging away, but he paused and turned to the woman once again. "What was your name?"

"Sally Sparrow," she replied with a smile.

"Good to meet you, Sally Sparrow," he said with a grin.

A young man walked up to Sally and stared at the Doctor with a dumbstruck expression as the Doctor arched an eyebrow at him. Sally smiled at him and took his hand before turning back to the Doctor.

"Goodbye, Doctor," she said. "Oh, and congratulations."

He looked at her sharply as she turned to walk back to the shop, stuffing the purple folder into his pocket thoughtfully. Not the first time someone said something about him being married to Rose, but he'd always regarded these instances as consequences of referring to her as his wife when necessary on adventures. This...seemed different, and altogether more worrying, because there would be absolutely no way he would stand for a human Earth ceremony with anyone, even Rose, not unless...unless he could have the marriage he wanted and craved so badly, complete with impossible bonds. He shook his head and hurried after the girls, deciding that Sally Sparrow must have been tragically mistaken.

It wasn't until later, when the eggs had been returned to the royal hatchery, the Hroltogians were on their way home, the Lizard had been placed in a fairly permanent variety of protective custody, the sinister buyer was apprehended, and the Turayans were back to their transgalactic journey that the Doctor considered Sally Sparrow again, flipping idly through the folder while he sat in the console room. Some pictures…a letter…a…transcript? He scanned through it, but hurriedly put everything away again when he caught the words "lady wife", remembering then what else Sally had said and how excruciatingly wrong she was.

He wasn't sure anymore how long he could keep up the pretense that everything was fine. His relationship was going to fall apart…it was just a matter of time. If he didn't break from the pain of his telepathic need first, then it would be Rose waking up and realizing what an unmitigated disaster her life was because of him that would tear them asunder.

"Doctor," Martha called.

"Hmm?" He looked up to see both girls grinning at him from the arched corridor entrance. "What's going on?"

"Movie night," Martha said happily.

"Even have Duck Soup AND the Muppet Movie in the lineup," Rose said, walking over to take his hand and drag him up. "Can you believe Martha's never seen EITHER?"

"Oh, you're kidding!" the Doctor said, forcing cheer into his voice. "Oh, Martha Jones, you are in for a treat."

He smiled as Rose leaned up to kiss his cheek before pulling him down the corridor with them. It couldn't last…but he'd be damned if he didn't try to hold on as long as possible.


	27. 42 Part 1

_**The response to yesterday's chapter was great. So many people yelling at the Doctor makes me giggle. But, just a warning...episodes will fall in the same order as canon for the rest of the series. And so, 42. **_

_**By the way, this episode is going to be fairly Martha-lite, because her circumstances won't change much just because Rose is present. Martha fans, bear with me...she'll get her moments to shine later, I promise.**_

**oOoOo**

The Doctor and Rose were chatting at the console when Martha trudged into the room and plopped unceremoniously onto the jump seat, making the other two glance at her in concern. Usually, the minute she woke up she was bouncing and ready to go somewhere, much to the Doctor's delight, having dealt with "not a morning person" Rose the last few years, but today she was feeling genuinely homesick for the first time since she'd started travelling with them. She was tempted to ask for a visit home, but still had a nagging fear that the Doctor would take it the wrong way and just ditch her there.

"Martha?" Rose asked, sitting down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Martha said, shaking her head. She looked up as the Doctor arched an eyebrow at her and sighed. "Just a bit…homesick. Kind of wish I could talk to Tish or my mum, you know?"

She regretted her word choice when the other two glanced at one another. This was home for them…they didn't have anyone else to miss.

"Doctor?" Rose asked. "Think you can manage some jiggery pokery?"

"Oh, I think I could work something out," he said, looking back at Martha with a grin. "Got your phone?"

Martha stood up, confused as she handed him her phone. She leaned against the console as he flipped it open and ran his sonic screwdriver over it.

"Remember asking me how I could use a phone in the 16th century?" he asked casually.

"Sort of," she said. "Hey, what happened to your phone anyway?"

"Lost it," he said with a shrug as he paced around the console, still working on the phone. "Only had one number in it, and that's the only person that had the number to it. Since someone went and got theirs broken—" He shot a glance at Rose, who rolled her eyes. "—it didn't really serve much purpose for me. There we go!" he said happily, snapping the phone shut and tossing it back to Martha. "Universal Roaming. Never have to worry about a signal again."

Martha stared at him for a second before looking down at the phone. She flipped it open and looked at the screen, now displaying "Universal Roaming Activated."

"No way!" she cried. "But it's…too mad! You're telling me I can call anyone, anywhere in Space and Time on my mobile?"

"Long as you know the area code," he said with a smile. "Frequent Fliers' privilege. Go on. Try it."

She started to dial, but was knocked to the floor as the TARDIS gave a sudden jolt. She picked herself up to see the Doctor staring at the monitor in concern.

"Distress signal! Locking on!" he shouted. "Rose, hit the…that one!" he shouted as her hand hovered over a switch. "Yeah. Hold on, might be a bit of—"

He was cut off as another violent jolt rocked through the ship, sending all three flying again.

"…Turbulence," he finished as he sat up. "Ow. You two alright?" he asked, pulling himself to his feet and holding out a hand for Rose as Martha stood gingerly. "Sorry about that. Ah, well, come on. Let's take a look!"

He spun and darted off for the doors while Rose and Martha exchanged a knowing look. Only the Doctor could get that excited about someone being in dire need of help.

"Whoa!" the Doctor said as he stepped out, Rose and Martha just behind him. "Now that is hot!"

"It's like a sauna in here!" Martha cried, taking off her jacket and handing it off to Rose, who threw it back into the TARDIS along with her sweatshirt before moving alongside the Doctor to look at the equipment along the wall.

"What's all this…venting systems?" she asked in surprise, glancing at him.

"Mmm…" the Doctor said, nodding as he crouched by the equipment. "Working at full pelt. Trying to cool down…uh, where-ever it is we are," he added, glancing around again as he stood up straight. "Well! If you can't stand the heat…"

He moved over to a door and spun to wheel to open it. Rose looked around again, getting an intensely bad feeling about the situation before following him with Martha.

"Oh, that's better," she said as she stepped through the door and felt a slight decrease in overall temperature.

"Oi! You three!" shouted a voice, and the Doctor and Rose turned to see three people running toward them, all of them looking overheated.

"Get out of there!" shouted the woman.

"Seal that door!" ordered one of the men. "Now!"

The two men rushed to the door and sealed it just after Martha stepped out while the Doctor stared at them in confusion.

"Who are you?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing on my ship?"

"Are you police?" the younger of the two men asked.

"Why would we be police?" the Doctor asked, frowning as his confusion grew.

"We got your distress signal," Rose explained. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

"If this is a ship, why can't I hear any engines?" the Doctor asked, glancing around.

"It went dead four minutes ago," the woman said reluctantly.

"So maybe we should stop chatting and get to engineering…Captain," the older man said with a slight sneer.

"Secure closure active," a computer voice intoned, punctuated by a loud clang somewhere else in the ship.

"What?" the Captain asked, looking behind her.

"The ship's gone mad," the older man said.

"Who activated secure closure?" another woman cried as she ran toward them, a door slamming shut just behind her. "I nearly got locked in to area 27!" As she spoke, another door slammed closed behind her, locking them in the area. "Who are you?" the newcomer asked, looking at the trio in puzzlement.

The Doctor moved to answer, but Martha cut him off without even looking at him. "He's the Doctor, she's Rose and I'm Martha," she said, sounding distracted. "Hello."

She walked forward toward a window, her movements looking strange and automatic. Rose frowned, but turned back to the captain.

"And you are?" she asked.

"Kath McDonnell," the woman replied. "And that's Scannell, Riley, and Erina," she added, nodding at the older man, younger man, and other woman in turn.

"Impact projection: 42 minutes," the computer voice reported as Rose nodded before moving towards Martha and looking out a window that had golden light streaming through it. Rose's eyes widened as she took in the awesome and fearful view.

"We'll get out of this," McDonnell said. "I promise."

"Doctor," Rose called.

"Forty-two minutes 'til what?" he asked the Captain, ignoring her.

"Doctor!" Martha cried, sounding panicky. "Look!"

He ran over and looked out the window over Rose's shoulder, and she felt him stiffen behind her as he took in the burning sun that was entirely too close for comfort…and getting closer.

"Forty-two minutes until we crash into the sun," McDonnell explained.

The Doctor spun away from the window, darting back to the Captain and grabbing her by the upper arms as he looked down at her.

"How many crew members on board?" he demanded quickly.

"Seven, including us," the Captain reported.

"We transport cargo across the galaxy," said Scannell. "Everything's automated. We just keep the ship…"

"Call the others," the Doctor ordered. "I'll get you out!"

"What's he doing?" Riley yelled as the Doctor rushed for the door they came through. All four crew members moved quickly to stop him.

"No! Don't!" the Captain yelled, but the Doctor was already opening the door. The heat from the other area had risen to the point that the Doctor was knocked back with a shout as soon as the door was opened. Rose and Martha immediately knelt by him, but he seemed to be alright, if a little shaken.

"But my ship's in there!" he shouted as one of the crew quickly closed the door while wearing protective equipment.

"In the vent chamber?" Riley asked, incredulous.

"It's our lifeboat," the Doctor explained, getting to his feet.

"It's lava," Scannell corrected.

Erina took off the protective equipment and peered at the dials next to the door. "The temperature's going mad in there," she said. "Up 3000 degrees in ten seconds, and still rising."

"Channeling the air," Riley said. "The closer we get to the sun, the hotter that room's gonna get."

"We're stuck here," Martha said, sounding angry.

"Not the first time we've been separated from the TARDIS," Rose said quickly. "We'll work it out. The engines are dead. So…first order of business should be trying to fix those, yeah?"

The Doctor nodded. "We fix the engines, we steer the ship away from the Sun! Simple! Engineering down here, is it?"

He spun around when the Captain nodded, darting down the corridor. Everyone followed him down a set of stairs, but were stopped when he halted suddenly, staring around him in bemusement.

"Blimey," he said. "Do you always leave things in such a mess?"

"Oh my god!" McDonnell cried. The Doctor walked toward the engine, pacing around it as he examined it. The others joined him, taking in the bits of wire, springs, and casing that were everywhere, all steaming.

"What the hell happened?" Scannell asked.

"Oh, it's wrecked," Riley said.

"Pretty efficiently too," the Doctor said wandering over to a terminal and putting on his specs. "Someone knew what they were doing."

"Where's Korwin?" McDonnell demanded. "Has anyone heard from him or Ashton?"

"No," Scannell said.

"Crew members missing after the engine's been sabotaged," Rose commented, walking toward the Doctor as he looked at her with raised eyebrows. "That's not weird or suspicious at all." She glanced at McDonnell as she raced over to an intercom and screamed into it for Korwin and Ashton. "This is bad, Doctor."

"I know," he said quietly. "I stranded you…again. You and Martha."

"Not what I meant," she said with a dismissive wave. "At least the TARDIS is still on board, and your little time ship is made of sterner stuff than this crew gives her credit for. She'll be okay…if we can fix this. I was more talking about the fact that we apparently can't even trust the small crew that's left."

"Yeah…that's a problem," he agreed, glancing around at the crew briefly before turning back to the monitor and scanning for a location. "Oh! We're in the Torajji system! Lovely! You're a long way from home, Martha. Half a universe away."

"Yeah, feels it," Martha snapped snarkily as the Doctor stepped over to the captain again.

"And, you're still using energy scoops for fusion?" he asked. "Hasn't that been outlawed yet?"

McDonnell exchanged a shifty look with Riley, and the Doctor arched an eyebrow at her.

"We're due to upgrade next docking," she said dismissively before moving past him. The Doctor and Rose exchanged a suspicious glance before he followed her.

"What're energy scoops?" Martha asked as McDonnell tried to get an engine report from Scannell. "Is that like the H20 scoops?"

"No," Rose said, and the Doctor glanced at her. "Energy scoops mean that a ship can literally scoop up reacting material from things...stars and things...to create fusion fuel for the ship."

"Sounds dangerous," Martha commented.

"Extremely," the Doctor said as McDonnell continued to try the system without much success. "Rose, how did you know that?"

"Library," Rose said with a shrug. He rewarded her with an odd look, and she frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, whipping off his specs and returning to the problem at hand. "Right, so, repairing the engines isn't going to happen anytime soon, what else have we got? Anyone?"

He glanced around expectantly. "Auxiliary engines?" Rose asked meekly.

"Auxiliary engines!" he shouted, beaming at her. "Every craft's got auxiliaries!"

"We don't have access from here," McDonnell said, shaking her head. "The auxiliary controls are in the front of the ship."

"Yeah, with 29 password sealed doors between us and them," Scannell said. "You'll never get there in time."

"Can't you override the doors?" Martha asked.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "Sealed closure means what it says. They're all dead-lock sealed."

"So a sonic screwdriver's no use," the Doctor said, running a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Nothing's any use," Scannell said in a leaden voice. "We've got no engines, no time, and no chance."

"Oh, that's nice," Rose snorted. "Right ray of sunshine, you are."

"Honestly, listen to you!" the Doctor cried. "Defeated before you've even started! Where's your Dunkirk spirit?" He gave Scannell a disappointed look before turning to McDonnell again. "Who's got the door passwords?"

"They're randomly generated," Riley said. "Reckon I know most of 'em."

"Then what're you waiting for, Riley?" he asked, assuming command. "Get on it."

"Well, it's a two-person job," he explained, fetching a large backpack and a magnetic clamp. "One to answer the questions, and the other to carry this," he said, putting the bag on his back. "The oldest and cheapest security system around, eh captain?"

"Reliable and simple, just like you, eh Riley?" McDonnell said with a small smile.

"Try and be helpful, get abuse," he said good-naturedly. "Nice!"

"I'll help you," Martha said, taking the clamp from him. "Make myself useful."

"It's remotely controlled by computer panel," Riley told her. "That's why it needs two."

He turned and headed for the doors, but Rose grabbed Martha's arm before she could follow.

"Be careful," she said, squeezing the other girl's arm gently.

"Yeah, you too," she said. "Try to avoid the near-death experiences, yeah?" she cautioned, her eyes going between her and the Doctor, who looked up and gave her a small smile. She smiled back, and took Rose's hand to squeeze gently before heading off after Riley.

"McDonnell?" a voice suddenly called over the intercom. "It's Ashton."

McDonnell darted back to the panel. "Where are you? Is Korwin with you?"

"Get up to the med-center NOW!" the voice ordered.

McDonnell immediately spun away and ran from the room. The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look and chased after her up to the med-center. They found two people holding down a third on a bed, who was struggling and groaning in pain.

"Argh!" the man groaned, his eyes squeezed shut. "Stop it!"

"Korwin, it's Abi!" the girl in scrubs shouted. "Open your eyes, I need to take a look at you!"

"Korwin!" McDonnell cried, rushing forwards. "What's happened? Is he OK?"

"Oh Kath!" he cried. "Help me! IT'S BURNING ME!"

"Rose, stay back," the Doctor said, frowning in concern. "How long's he been like this?"

"Ashton just brought him in," Abi said as the Doctor started scanning Korwin with the sonic.

"What are you doing?" McDonnell demanded when Korwin gave another shriek of pain. She moved closer, but Rose grabbed her arm.

"You might want to stay back as well," she warned.

"Don't be so stupid," McDonnell said, shaking her off and moving past Ashton to the head of the bed. "That's my husband!"

"And he's just sabotaged our ship," Ashton informed her angrily.

"What?" she cried.

"He went mad," Ashton said with a shrug. "He set the ship to secure closure, then he set the heat pulse to melt the controls."

"No way!" McDonnell said, shaking her head. "He wouldn't do that!"

"I saw it happen, Captain," Ashton insisted.

"Korwin?" the Doctor said gently, putting away his sonic screwdriver. "Korwin, open your eyes for me a second."

"I can't!" Korwin cried painfully.

"Yeah, course you can," the Doctor said. "Go on."

"Don't make me look at you!" Korwin yelled, thrashing harder. "Please!"

"Alright, alright, alright," he said, moving off the bed and picking up a dart gun on a medical tray. "Just relax. Sedative?" he asked, holding it up to Abi and pressing it to Korwin's neck when she confirmed this. Korwin gave another shout, then stilled.

"Doctor, what's wrong with him?" Rose asked, coming closer as he dropped the gun back on the tray.

He leaned against the bed, scrubbing a hand over his face before crossing his arms. "Some sort of infection. Rising body temperature, unusual energy readings…" He trailed off and glanced at the machinery around the bed. "Stasis chamber. I do love a good stasis chamber. Keep him sedated in there. Regulate the body temperature. And, just for fun, run a bio-scan and tissue profile on a metabolic detail."

"Just doing them now," Abi said, barely looking up from what she was doing.

"Oh, I like her," Rose said with a grin.

"You're good, I'll give you that," he said. "Anyone else presenting these symptoms?"

"Not so far," Abi said, shaking her head.

"Well, that's something, right?" Rose asked. The Doctor glanced at her and nodded once, but didn't really look relieved. She understood…this situation was out of control enough without adding an epidemic to it.

"Will someone tell me what is the matter with him?" McDonnell asked, looking down at Korwin.

"We're not sure yet," the Doctor said gently. "We'll know more after the test results. Now, Allons-y, back downstairs. Eh! See about those engines. Go," he ordered, and Ashton turned and hurried out of the room.

"Captain," Rose said, moving toward McDonnell when she didn't move. "He's fine for now, Abi's got him. But we need your help, and if we don't figure out a way to get this ship moving, it's not going to matter what's wrong with him."

McDonnell hesitated another second, then nodded and left.

"And here I was just going to order her around again," the Doctor said, turning for the door.

"That's why everyone says I'm the nice one," she said.

"And they're right," he said. "Call us if there's news," he told Abi as they ran for the door. "Any questions?"

"Yeah," she said, scoffing lightly. "Who are you?"

He stuck his head back in the door briefly. "I'm the Doctor!"


	28. 42 Part 2

_**Finally seeing a little more evidence of Rose's accelerated learning capabilities and extensive library time. In my mind, anyway, it makes sense that she would gravitate more towards science, engineering, and math rather than history or literature or whatever on the whole, which explains why we haven't seen a whole lot of it thus far, even though she doesn't have to hide anymore. She'll never have a Time Lord mind or the Doctor's capacity for bits and bobs of random information, but she definitely has her own moments of brilliance...which, of course, completely confuse the Doctor, because, as I said to someone else, he may be a Lord of Time, but he's a veritable King of Denial.**_

_**Also, fourteen reviews away from 500, because I have the best readers ever. Kudos to the lot of you.**_

**oOoOo**

The Doctor and Rose spent a few minutes trying to sort through the wreckage of the engine controls before the Doctor started itching for status reports from Abi and Martha. The computer was still counting down to impact, and the situation was quickly spinning out of control. The only thing he could do was keep the information coming, so he jumped to the intercom.

"Abi, how's Korwin doing?" he asked. "Any results from the bio-scan?"

"He's under heavy sedation," Abi reported. "I'm just trying to make sense of this data. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll let you know."

He switched over, calling for Martha. "Martha? Riley? How're you doing?"

"Area twenty-nine, at the door to twenty-eight!" Martha told him.

He put his specs on to peer at the readout above the comm station, looking at the time of progress between doors. He didn't like it. "You've gotta move faster!" he urged her.

"We're doing our best!" Martha shouted back.

The Doctor turned, leaving the comm open, to find Rose next to him.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, his voice going a little squeaky. "Um...yeah. Mostly. Sort of…not. But it'll be fine. Probably."

"Not exactly filling me full of confidence here, Doctor," she said, arching an eyebrow.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but the conversation between Riley and Martha filtered down to them instead.

"Find the next number in the sequence: 313, 331, 367… what?" asked Riley.

"You said the crew knew all the answers," Martha said, sounding scared.

"The crew's changed since we set the questions," Riley said defensively.

"You're joking…" Martha moaned.

"379," the Doctor and Rose said together, and his eyes snapped down to her.

"What?" Martha asked, startled.

"It's a sequence of happy primes," Rose explained. "379."

"Happy what?" Martha asked, sounding thoroughly confused.

"Just enter it!" the Doctor snapped, still looking down at Rose. Since when did Rose know _happy primes_?

"Are you sure?" Riley asked. "We only get one chance!"

The Doctor growled and spun around the intercom. "Any number which reduces to one when you take the sum of the square of its digits and you continue iterating until it yields one is a happy number," he said rapid-fire in an annoyed tone. "Any number that doesn't, isn't. A happy prime is a number which is both happy and prime, now type it in!"

"We're through!" Martha called after a minute, and the Doctor let out a breath.

"Keep moving, fast as you can," he said urgently. "And, Martha...be careful. There may be something else on board this ship."

"Any time you wanna unnerve me, feel free!" she said.

"Will do, thanks," he said lightly, switching off the comm. and turning to Rose. "379?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"You're not the only one who can indulge in a little recreational mathematics," she said with a tongue in teeth grin before turning and going back to the controls. He watched her with a slightly bemused smile. Part of him desperately wanted to pin her against the wall at the words "recreational mathematics," while another part of him was desperately trying to make sense of the fact that she knew anything about it at all.

_Priorities_, he told himself sternly as he followed her back to the controls. They moved the stricken machinery for a few more minutes before the Doctor stepped back in frustration.

"These are useless," he said unhappily.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Scannell said irritably.

"Is unhelpful pessimist your only setting?" Rose asked, and the Doctor smirked. "Or do you think you could maybe start being just a _bit_ constructive?"

"We need a backup in case they don't reach the auxiliary engines in time," he said. "Come on! Think! Resources, what have we got?"

"Doctor!" called Martha's voice over the comm.

"What is it now?" he groaned.

"Who had the most number ones, Elvis, or the Beatles?" she asked. "That's pre-download."

"Elvis," the Doctor said confidently.

"The Beatles," Rose said...just as confidently, and at the same time. They stared at each other blankly for a second.

"Guys, you were the ones who wanted us to go quick, yeah?" Martha's voice came through the comm.

"Wait!" the Doctor cried. "Um…um…" he paused, screwing up his face and slapping the back of his head as he thought furiously. "Argh! Was that a remix? Um…I don't know! I am a bit busy!"

"Fine," Martha snapped, sounding a little put out. "I'll ask someone else!"

"Now, where was I?" he asked as the comm cut out. "'Here Comes the Sun'. No, resources. What've we got?"

"Well, the power's still working," Rose said slowly. "Generator is still operating, so shouldn't we be able reroute some of that, bypass the controls?"

"Use the generator to jump-start the ship," McDonnell said while the Doctor stared between them.

"Right," Rose said, nodding. "It should be able to at least buy us some time, yeah?"

"That…is brilliant," McDonnell said, impressed.

"See!" the Doctor cried as the crew smiled, finally believing they might have a way out of this mess. "Tiny glimmer of hope!"

"If it works," Scannell said morosely.

"Oh, believe me," McDonnell said, pinning him with a look. "You're gonna make it work."

The Doctor looked at her with new respect as Scannell trudged off, looking a little dejected.

"That told him!" he said with a smile.

They all moved to various tasks as they tried to work out a way to reroute the generator power around the controls. At some point, Rose moved past him, and he grabbed her round the waist, pulling back against his chest and leaning down to her ear.

"Remind me to explain to you later how unbelievably sexy you are when you're being brilliant," he said in a low, slightly husky voice, and smiled when he felt her shiver.

"I'll hold you to that," she whispered back before moving away from him again.

oOoOo

"Doctor," Abi called over the comm several minutes later. "These readings are starting to scare me."

"What d'you mean?" he asked, striding over to the comm station.

"Well, Korwin's body's changing," she said. "His whole biological make-up, it…it's impossible." She went quiet, and the Doctor was about to ask for more information when she started speaking again, her entire demeanor changed as she switched channels so that her voice carried through the ship. "This is med-center. Urgent assistance requested. Urgent assistance!"

The Doctor stared at the comm in shock for a split-second before taking off.

"Stay here!" he yelled as he ran. "Keep working!"

Rose wasn't surprised to see McDonnell run after him, but was a little relieved when Scannell did as well. At least he'd have some back-up if something was seriously wrong, because one of them had to stay down here to help with the engine repairs.

"Urgent assistance!" Abi called again.

"Abi, they're on their way," Rose said quickly into the comm.

"What's happening to you?" she heard Abi ask fearfully-the comm was still wide open in the med-center.

"_**Burn with me**_," said a deep, sinister voice. Rose stared at the panel in alarm. "_**Burn with me**_."

"What was that?" Erina asked in a shaky voice. Rose shook her head.

"_**Burn with me**_," came the voice again.

"K-Korwin, you're sick…" Abi said, terrified.

"_**Burn. With. Me!**_" the voice repeated again. A second later, they heard the screaming start. Rose's hands went to her mouth as it seemed to go on forever-and then it stopped.

"Doctor?" Martha's voice called after a beat. "What were those screams?"

"Concentrate on those doors!" the Doctor yelled. "You've gotta keep moving forward!"

"Come on," Rose said, ignoring the slight static of the still open comm. "We've got a job to do too."

She turned her attention back to the controls, trying to concentrate. She listened with half an ear to Ashton giving Erina a list of parts to get; he paused for a moment when they heard the sound of three running footsteps before the comm finally cut out from the med-center.

"I'll go with you, Erina," she said, needing to walk, needing to move, anything. She was sure Abi was dead…no one screamed like that—or _stopped_ screaming like that—and stayed alive. The situation, already so completely out of control, was getting impossibly worse, even as they inched closer to the sun.

She barely paid attention while Erina complained about Ashton's bossiness all the way to equipment storage, the girl prattling on without really needing someone to hear her, just needing to talk about something other than what they'd heard. Rose nodded and umm-ed along as they moved through the corridor.

"Everybody listen to me!" McDonnell's voice called over the comm as Erina approached a storage locker. "Something has infected Korwin. We think…he killed Abi Lerner. None of you must go anywhere near him, is that clear?"

Erina looked at Rose in horror. "She's…dead?"

"I'm sorry, Erina," Rose said softly, stepping back to lean against the wall between two banks of lockers.

"Erina?" Ashton called. "Get back here with that equipment."

"Whatever you say, boss," Erina said sarcastically, and Rose closed her eyes, rubbing her fingers on her temples. She was getting a ridiculous headache, most likely from everything unraveling around them. "Go there. Come back. Fetch this. Carry these. Make drinks. Sweep up! Please, kill me now."

"_**Burn with me**_," a voice said, and Rose's eyes snapped open. Someone—Korwin, she corrected herself—was standing just in front of Erina, wearing a protective mask and gloves. His breath rasped through the mask, and he advanced on the girl, driving her back towards another wall. "_**Burn with me**_," he said again, and Rose stepped out from her accidental hiding space to try to confront Korwin, just in time to see him put a hand up to raise his visor, a blinding light spilling out and making Rose back away, closing her eyes again as Erina screamed—and then stopped. She opened her eyes again as Korwin closed the visor and turned.

"_**Burn with me**_," he said, and Rose did the one thing she knew she could do better than anything: she ran. She tore through the corridors, heading for the med-center to find the Doctor, then stopped dead.

"Ashton," she murmured, spinning around and heading back for the engine room to warn the other man about Korwin, hoping to god she didn't run into the infected man on the way. She got lucky, making it all the way to engineering and pressing through the plastic at the entrance without running into anyone, only to halt just inside at the sight of Korwin gripping Ashton by the front of his jacket.

"Korwin… it's me," Ashton said, trying to plead with the infected man. "We're mates!"

"_**They are getting too far**_," Korwin said. "_**We must share the light**_."

Korwin raised his hands to the other man's head, and steam rose as the other man screamed. Rose hesitated, and then cursed herself as she spun back around, knowing that hesitation was exactly what had kept her from saving Ashton from Korwin in the first place. Now it sounded like they'd have two infected on board as well as two dead. She needed to find the Doctor, _now_.

oOoOo

"There's something I'm missing," the Doctor said, leaning against the bed in the med-center. "The first thing Korwin did when he was infected is destroy the controls. Why? It could have killed you anywhere."

"That's encouraging," Scannell said.

"Sorry," he said, shaking his head. "It just doesn't make any sense. Why keep you here to fall into the sun if it's just going to kill you off anyway?"

He heard running feet just outside and spun as he straightened to see Rose barrel into the room, looking alarmed.

"Oh, thank god you're still here," she said breathlessly. "Korwin, he killed Erina, and I'm pretty sure Ashton is infected."

"_What_?" the Doctor cried, leaping toward her and grabbing her by the upper arms. "What happened?"

"I went with Erina to get equipment," she explained. "He found her there, backed her against the wall, then raised his visor and there was...this light. And then she was gone."

"He didn't see you?" the Doctor demanded, his eyes raking over her face.

"He did, but I ran," she said. "Learned from the best. Anyway, I double-backed to warn Ashton, but Korwin got to him first. Said something...something about needing to share the light."

The Doctor cursed. Two dead, two infected, and inching ever closer to the sun. _Brilliant_.

_What light?_

"Come on," he said quickly, spinning Rose around and pushing her out the door. "You two as well," he hollered over his shoulder. "We need to get back down to engineering, get those engines jump-started. The sooner we get away from the sun, the sooner we can focus on the infection."

"Doctor!" came Martha's panicked voice over the intercom, and he stopped dead in the corridor, nearly ready to beat his head against a wall. "We're stuck in an escape pod off the area seventeen airlock. One of the crew's trying to jettison us! You've gotta help us!"

"Oh my god, this is a nightmare," Rose moaned, running a hand through her hair as the Doctor jumped to a terminal, bringing up a diagram of the ship to find the best route to area 17.

"Why is this happening?" McDonnell asked.

"You two, stay here!" the Doctor ordered. "I mean it this time! Jump start those engines! Rose, come on."

They tore off through the corridors again, hopping over door frames and trailing wires everywhere.

"I could've stayed to help them," Rose called as they ran.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight again until we're back in the TARDIS," she heard him growl ahead of her. Not a happy Time Lord. She followed him as he ran through the door to Area 17 to see Ashton standing in front of a control panel wearing the same protective gear Korwin had.

"That's enough!" the Doctor yelled. "What do you want? Why this ship? Tell me!"

Ashton didn't answer, but gave a roar and slammed a fist into the control panel in front of him, sending sparks flying. He then turned and took a few purposeful steps toward them.

"Doctor?" Rose asked uncertainly. "Don't...don't let him look at you, Doctor."

"What are you?" the Doctor asked as Ashton advanced until they were nearly nose to nose. "What do you want with this ship?"

Ashton raised his hand to his visor, and the Doctor tried to push Rose behind him even as she tried to tug him away. Before the infected man could do anything else, though, he gave a shout, doubling over in pain and backing away. Within seconds, however, he was standing straight again and walking past them out the door.

"Why didn't he go for us?" Rose asked.

"For the moment, let's just be glad he didn't," the Doctor said, jumping for the intercom. "McDonnell! Ashton's heading in your direction! Any sign of Korwin?"

"Korwin's dead, Doctor," Scannell called back.

The Doctor looked back at Rose, and she knew he was torn. He didn't like that someone else was dead…but Korwin was already too far gone, and his death meant one less infected person on board. She moved him on to more pressing matters.

"Doctor, where's Martha?" she asked.

"Airlock decompression completed," a computer voice informed them. "Jettisoning pod."

They looked at each other in horror, both of them jumping for the airlock door at once, but they couldn't make it budge. The Doctor raised his head and looked out the window.

"Doctor?" Rose asked, her voice shaking.

"I'll save you!" he screamed through the door, sounding desperate. "I'll save you!"

He spun away from the door again with a frustrated growl, just as the computer informed them that there were seventeen minutes left until impact. He ran his hands over his face, thinking hard.

"Doctor, we have to get her back," Rose said in a low voice.

"I know," he replied. He stood still for another second, tension coming off him in waves. He glanced at her, then jumped for the intercom. "Scannell! I need a spacesuit in area 17, now!"

"What for?" Scannell asked.

"Just get down here!" he yelled angrily.

"Doctor, what are you going to do?" Rose demanded. "You can't go out there, you'll get roasted!"

"Would you rather it be her?" he snapped in frustration, turning to her with a glare. "If I don't take that risk, she falls into the sun, is that what you want?"

"Of course not!" she retorted quickly. "But I don't want to lose both of you because you went on a suicide mission with no chance of success, either! What are you going to do?"

The Doctor took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair in a concentrated effort to calm down. "If I can breach the magnetic lock on the ship's exterior, it should remagnetize the pod. It'll only take a few minutes. The ship's shields will protect me from the worst of it."

"Are you sure that will work?" she asked.

"It has to," he said curtly as Scannell came in with the space suit. The Doctor grabbed it from him, pulling it on hurriedly as he explained his plan.

"I can't let you do this," Scannell argued.

"Don't bother, Scannell," Rose said, frustrated. "If I couldn't stop him, you certainly won't."

"You wanna open an airlock in flight on a ship spinning into the sun," Scannell said, ignoring her. "No-one can survive that!"

"Oh, just you watch," the Doctor growled.

"You open that airlock, it's suicide," Scannell said. "This close to the sun, the shields will barely protect you."

The Doctor avoided Rose's eyes when they flew to him. "Trust me, I can handle it. While I'm out there, you have got to get the rest of those doors open. We need those auxiliary engines."

"Doctor, will you listen!" Scannell cried. "They're too far away, it's too late!"

The Doctor didn't respond, but finally looked at Rose. She saw the determination in his face to save their friend, and she knew nothing was going to stop him now.

"I want that space suit back in one piece," she said, stepping closer as her eyes burned.

"Yes sir," he said, giving her a small smile before wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her hard. "I'll see you later."

"Not if I see you first," she replied as he released her and pulled on his helmet.

Scannell started the decompression once the Doctor was in the airlock, showing her the sequence for recompression when he made it back in before taking off with the kit for the doors. She went back to the door, leaning up to look out the window as the airlock door opened and the Doctor struggled his way out of it. He was hanging out the side for several minutes before she moved back to the comm.

"How're you doing, Doctor?" she asked, trying to keep as much concern out of her voice as possible.

"I can't...I can't reach," he panted. "I don't know how much longer I can last."

Fear rose in her, but she kept her voice even as she said, "You can do this, Doctor. She needs you."

She turned back to the window, biting her nails furiously and willing him to finish whatever he'd started and come back to her. She glanced over when the controls chirped, and moved to see the screen readout. She gave a whoop when she saw the word "remagnetizing" pop up, jumping back for the window to see the Doctor kneeling by the airlock door, looking out at the returning pod.

"Rose, close the airlock or that pod'll smash right into him," Scannell said over the intercom.

"Doctor, move back," she yelled into the comm before closing the airlock and starting the recompression sequence. As soon as it was complete, she jumped back over to the door and hauled it open and the Doctor lurched out, his helmet already off. He groaned and fell to his knees in pain.

"Doctor?" she asked, dropping to his side as he pushed himself back to the wall, his eyes closed tight and a grimace on his face. "Doctor, what's wrong?"

"Stay away from me!" he yelled in a furious voice, his voice deeper than it should be as he opened his eyes briefly and blinding light poured out.

"No," Rose whispered. He couldn't be infected. Not now. Not him. They'd never get out alive if he couldn't make it through.

"It's…it's the sun," he panted as he screwed his eyes shut again.

"Doctor!" Martha's voice came behind her as she scrambled through the door. "Rose! You did it!" She paused, taking in their positions. "Is he ok?"

"No," Rose snapped.

"What's happened?" McDonnell demanded as she made her way to them.

"It's your fault, Captain McDonnell!" the Doctor shouted.

McDonnell looked momentarily shocked, but quickly pulled herself together. "Riley! Get down to area 10 and help Scannell with the doors. Go!"

"You mined that sun!" the Doctor shouted as Riley hurried away. "Stripped its surface for cheap fuel! You should have scanned for life!"

"I don't understand," McDonnell said.

"The...the sun's alive?" Rose asked, stunned.

"They scooped out its heart," the Doctor said angrily. "Used it for fuel, and now it's screaming!"

"What do you mean?" McDonnell asked, frightened. "How can a sun be alive? Why's he saying that?"

"Because it's living in me," he told her.


	29. 42 Part 3

_**Okay, here's the deal. I've seen Bad Wolf mentioned more than once in reviews since this particular arc started…I don't want to alienate anyone, but I do want to clear this up for everyone. I know other stories have put a whole other spin on this arc utilizing Bad Wolf and/or the TARDIS. I've enjoyed these, it makes for interesting plot twists, but I've never fully agreed with them. Basically, it comes down to this…Rose gets infected, or at least becomes aware, of the sun the minute she looks out the window in the beginning of the episode. Then, somehow, Bad Wolf keeps her from getting as infected as the Doctor. Here's the problem I have with this. If just seeing the sun out the window caused infection, they'd all be screwed in the first five minutes. End of episode. It doesn't say how Korwin got infected, but the Doctor was infected when he looked at the sun with only a space suit and some miles between him and the sun…stands to reason that Korwin at some point was also afforded a similarly unprotected glimpse. As for the second part, if superior mental defenses were all it took to stave off infection, the Doctor would never have been infected in the first place. He's a telepathic Time Lord with over 900 years of experience and some formidable mental defenses. He's no lightweight. It makes no sense that Rose would somehow be more susceptible than anyone else AND more protected against the sun than the Doctor himself. She never gets a view as unprotected as him, the sun never infects her, and while she does have extremely better defenses than a human, they're never going to be better than the Doctor…and, more importantly, in this instance at least, she doesn't need them to be. Like I said, not knocking other authors, it's all a matter of interpretation…this is mine. I'm not going to add peril that doesn't make sense to me simply for peril's sake, and although it was utilized (at great cost to Rose) in the last story, Bad Wolf is never going to be a fix-all.**_

_**That's all. Peevish exposition over. I love every review, this was in no way a slight to any of you, I just got tired of repeating myself. Carry on…though I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have people up in arms about this chapter anyway, regardless of the cranky author rant.**_

**oOoOo**

_"What do you mean?" McDonnell asked, frightened. "How can a sun be alive? Why's he saying that?"_

_"Because it's living in me," he told her._

"Oh my god…" McDonnell moaned, her hands flying to her face as she realized the full extent of what she'd done.

"Humans!" he shouted, furious and in agony. "You grab whatever's nearest and bleed it dry! You should have scanned!

"It takes too long!" McDonnell cried. "We'd be caught! Fusion scoops are illegal."

"For a reason!" Rose shouted. "You should have upgraded ages ago, and none of this would have happened!" She turned back to the Doctor as he screamed in pain. "Doctor, tell me there's something we can do."

"You've got to freeze me, quickly!" he said.

"What?" Martha asked, coming to his other side as Rose tried to pull him to his feet with little success.

"Stasis chamber!" he cried. "You gotta keep me…below minus 200. Freeze it out of me!" He screamed again, and Rose shot another glare at McDonnell. "It'll use me to kill you if you don't! The closer we get to the sun, the stronger it gets! Med-center! Quickly! Quickly!"

"C'mon, Martha," Rose grunted, pulling him to his feet with Martha and making her way down the corridor.

"What can I do?" McDonnell asked.

"You've done enough," Rose snapped.

They made their way along the corridor as quickly as they could, Rose grimacing and fighting back a moan every time the Doctor screamed in pain. They dropped the Doctor onto the bed and Martha ran to the controls for the stasis chamber.

"Please tell me you can figure out how to work this thing," Rose said quickly.

"I can do it," Martha said, trying to sound confident. Rose watched her uncertainly, coming towards her. "I can do it! I'll figure it out!"

"Rose, where are you?" the Doctor asked, sounding terrified now.

"I'm right here," Rose said, returning to his side and grabbing his hand while pressing the other to his cheek as he thrashed. "Martha's at the controls. Minus 200, yeah?"

"No, you don't know how this equipment works!" McDonnell said, and Rose whipped around to glare at her in hatred.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" she demanded.

"You'll kill him!" McDonnell cried. "Nobody can survive those temperatures!"

"He's not human," Martha told her, barely looking up. "If he says he can survive, then he can."

"Let me help you then!" McDonnell urged, moving closer, but Rose stepped between them.

"Touch those controls, and falling into the sun will be the least of your worries," Rose said darkly, and McDonnell backed away in alarm.

"Like she said," Martha spat angrily, turning back to her work. "You've done enough damage."

"Ten seconds," the Doctor panted. "That's all I'll be able to take. No more!" He screamed again, and Rose returned to his side and trying to calm his thrashing.

"Doctor, we've got you," she said soothingly, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

"It's burning me up, Rose," he said, holding tightly to her hand. "I can't control it. If you don't get rid of it, I could kill you. I could kill you all." He screamed again, and Rose blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes as he whimpered. "I'm scared! I'm so scared!"

"I know," she said, pressing a kiss to the burning skin of his forehead. "I know. Just try to stay calm. We've got you. We're both gonna get you through this, me and Martha. She's brilliant, yeah?"

"You saved me, now I'm returning the favor," Martha said. "Just…just believe in me."

"It's burning through me!" he cried. "I dunno what will happen. Rose…Rose…if I…if I change—"

"Stop it," she ordered. "That's not going to happen, alright? We're not going to let it."

"Rose," Martha said, nodding to the lever she was holding.

"Doctor, I love you," she said, kissing his quivering lips before pulling away.

"You ready?" Martha asked.

"No," the Doctor said, but Rose nodded, biting her lip. Martha nodded back and pushed the lever, making the Doctor slide back into the chamber. Rose made her way to Martha's side as the doctor in training typed in 200 and pressed a button to start the freezing process. Rose shuddered as the Doctor screamed, closing her eyes and turning away. She spun around again when she heard the power go down.

"No!" the Doctor screamed from inside the chamber. "Martha you can't stop it! Not yet!"

"What happened?" Rose demanded, coming forward again. "Why'd it turn off?"

"Power's been cut in engineering," McDonnell said, looking at a readout.

"But who's down there?" Martha asked.

"Leave it to me," McDonnell said darkly, running out of the room as the Doctor screamed again.

Rose stepped forward to the controls, hitting buttons at random with no response. She made smashed a fist into the side of the stasis chamber with a shriek of frustration.

"Rose, calm down," Martha warned.

"No!" she cried. "I will _not _calm down. This stupid bloody ship with its stupid bloody humans—"

"Rose," came the Doctor's voice, and she stopped, spinning around to the stasis chamber to look inside at him. "Listen, I've only got a moment. The two of you have gotta go!"

"Not a chance," she said quickly, shaking her head.

"Get to the front!" he said. "Vent the engines! Sun particles in the fuel! Get rid of them!"

"I'm not leaving you," she said hotly.

"You've got to!" he screamed. "Give back what they took!" He screamed again. "Please, go!"

She straightened with resolve and turned to Martha. "Go, do what he said. Vent the engines."

"He said—"

"I don't care," she said. "I'm not leaving him. You go. Fix their mistake." The other girl hesitated, looking at her with wide eyes. "Martha, _go_!"

"I'll come back for you," Martha said, reaching out to squeeze her arm lightly before taking off into the corridor.

"It'll be alright, Doctor," Rose said, touching his leg and making him jerk and scream again. "She'll take care of it!"

"Rose, what the hell are you still doing here?" he screamed. "Get out!"

"I told you," she said forcefully. "I'm not gonna leave you."

"Gah! You stupid girl!" he shouted, and she backed up a pace as he screamed again. "You just won't be satisfied until I kill you myself, will you?"

She bit her lip. She didn't want to leave him, but she didn't want to set herself up, either. Even if he could come back after the engines were vented, if he killed her first, he'd never forgive himself...and really, she wasn't keen on dying, by his hand or any other, in any scenario. She jumped when he started wiggling, moving towards the edge of the stasis chamber, and make a quick decision, bolting for the corridor. She stopped just outside the door, reasoning that at least now she wouldn't be in his immediate vicinity if he lost control, but she didn't have to completely leave him on his own either.

She closed her eyes when she heard him crash to the floor with another cry of pain. She stayed rooted in the spot as crashes around the room punctuated his lurching movements as he tried to fight the possession of the screaming sun. She jumped again when he stumbled out of the room, eyes still screwed shut; she moved quickly down the corridor, trying to put some space between them.

"Rose," he called, sound scared again.

"Doctor, just hold on," she said. "Martha's got to be nearly there."

"I can't fight it," he said, falling to his knees. "Go! You've got to give it back or—" He stopped, shuddering, and pushed his way to his feet. "_**Burn with me**_."

Rose straightened in shock, then tried to circle around him, away from where he thought her to be. Her shoe scraped on the wall, and he turned, catching her around the waist and pushing her against the wall.

"_**Burn with me, Rose**_," he said.

"Doctor!" she cried, trying desperately to wriggle out of his grasp. "You're stronger than this! Stronger than those humans! Superior Time Lord…everything, right?" He hesitated, and she tried using that to her advantage. "Doctor, please, fight it. Don't do this. I…I love you."

He held her against the wall for another second before spinning away with a scream of agony, falling to his knees again as his eyes opened and the blinding light spilled out. She edged away from him, tears stinging her eyes. Then ship gave a huge lurch, knocking her to the ground, and she heard it: the computer voice that she'd been ignoring with purpose up until now made it through.

"Fuel dump in progress," it said. Then: "Impact averted."

She watched him carefully as his screams died down to a groan and the light faded from his eyes. Finally, he fell onto his back, the light gone completely, and she scrambled toward him.

"Doctor," she whispered, touching his chest with hesitation. He was silent, breathing deeply for a moment before looking up at her.

"Rose Tyler," he breathed, wrapping a hand around the back of her neck before lifting himself up to kiss her hard, breaking away after seconds to pull her into a tight embrace. "Love you," he whispered, and she buried her face in his shoulder, relieved tears coming to her eyes.

They stayed like that until they heard Martha calling to them from the corridor, and he pushed Rose away, getting shakily to his feet just as Martha made it to them and launched herself at the Doctor, both of them giggling in relief as he spun her around. As soon as he released her, she put her arms around Rose, squeezing tightly.

"Glad you're not dead," she whispered.

"You too," Rose said with a grin. They both giggled when the Doctor made a frustrated noise at the pair of them, wandering away to remove his space suit while muttering darkly about stubborn women.

oOoOo

"This is never your ship!" Scannell said as the Doctor circled around the TARDIS, making a show of inspecting it for damage so he didn't really have to look at anyone—not Martha, not the two surviving crew members, and certainly not Rose.

"Compact! Eh!" he said with forced cheerfulness, putting up a hand to pat the ship. "And another good word, robust! Barely a scorch mark on her."

"We can't just leave them drifting with no fuel," Martha said in concern.

"We've sent out an official mayday," Riley said. "The authorities will pick us up soon enough."

"Though how we explain what happened…" Scannell started, trailing off with a shrug.

"Just tell them," the Doctor said, opening the TARDIS door. "That sun needs care and protection, just like any other living thing."

Scannell nodded, and the Doctor and Rose made their way into the TARDIS.

"Are you sure you're alright, Doctor?" Rose asked quietly as they made their way to the console. The Doctor moved around the console, putting some space between them.

"I'm fine," he lied, looking down at the monitor. The truth of the matter, the realization he'd come to after he'd nearly killed her was just too painful to say yet. "Just a little worn out is all."

"Doctor," Rose started, stepping closer, but halting with a frown when he stiffened. "Doctor, what's—"

She stopped when Martha came in, shutting the door behind her before moving up the ramp and beaming at them.

"So! Didn't really need you in the end, did we, Doctor?" she asked happily. The Doctor didn't answer, his mind buzzing with unpleasant thoughts that had nothing to do with Martha and everything to do with the ramifications of the adventure they'd barely made it through alive. "Sorry," she said after a moment, glancing between them. "How're you doing?"

He glanced at her, and fought for control over his emotions. "Now! What do you say?" he asked, returning to his usual business-like chatter and ignoring the burn of Rose's eyes on him as he moved away around the console, steering them into the Vortex. "Ice skating on the mineral lakes of Coerhaan. Fancy it?"

"Whatever," Rose said, and the Doctor barely stopped himself from glancing at her. If he just kept himself away, she'd get it before long.

"I guess, yeah," Martha said uncertainly.

"By the way," he said, looking at her properly. "You'll be needing this."

He pulled out a TARDIS key on a long chain. It was the cheaper variety, like Rose's original one, but still sturdy enough for their newest companion…provided she could keep it from being ripped off her neck.

"Really?" she gasped.

"Frequent Flier's Privilege," he said with smirk as she held out her hands in awe. "Oh, really, Martha! It's a key, not a sacrament." She pulled a face and snatched it out of his hands, and he chuckled. "And…thank you."

"Don't mention it," she said with a grin. Then she started, feeling around for her mobile. "Oh no! Mum!" She glanced between them again as she pulled out the phone. "You know what, I'll take this in my room," she said quickly, apparently feeling the tension between the Doctor and Rose.

"You don't have to do that," the Doctor said quickly, cursing himself for the desperate edge to his voice.

"No, it's alright," she said over her shoulder as she moved down the corridor. "You two probably need some...alone time anyway. Call me when we've landed."

"Well, I suppose if she doesn't want to go somewhere just yet, I'll go—"

"Doctor, stop," Rose cut him off. "What is going on with you?"

"Nothing," he said, moving around the console stiffly and avoiding her gaze. "Just thought I'd go take care of a few things I've been working on."

"Doctor, you've been…distracted and a little distant for weeks," she said moving closer again. "You kept saying you were fine, and I didn't want to push you. Except now, you won't even look at me. Please talk to me."

"Rose," he said softly, closing his eyes. Everything that happened there, his terror at hurting everyone, at changing on her again, at the fact that she was too stubborn to leave when she needed to…that was bad. But then…he could feel it, when he held her against that wall and nearly burned her away entirely. It was just one more thing that'd give him nightmares…and one more thing she'd eventually remember with bitterness and regret when she finally realized that her whole existence was in shambles because of him, that he'd never been worth everything she gave up. All the fear and pain and guilt that he'd been struggling with over the last couple of months reached a breaking point, and he simply couldn't cope with it anymore. For the first time, he was thankful that he hadn't been able to bond with her…now he'd be able to let her go before either of them did any more damage.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself before he looked up at her. "Rose, we can't be together anymore. I'm sorry, but we can't. You're welcome to stay on the TARDIS, but if you want to leave, find some new life for yourself somewhere, I understand. I'm sure we can find a way to set you up somewhere, find you a place to live and a job and—"

"No, shut up," Rose said, holding up a hand, her eyes wide. "Go back. What do you mean we can't be together anymore?"

"Pretty sure that's fairly self-explanatory," he said. "Look, I don't want to argue—"

"Tough," she said hotly. "You don't get to tell me that we're through out of nowhere without some kind of explanation."

"Is it really out of nowhere?" he asked. "You said yourself that I've been distracted and distant."

"Not _that_ distant!" she cried. "What the hell, Doctor? Less than an hour ago you were telling me you love me and kissing me like your life depended on it, and now we're done?"

"That was also right after I tried to kill you," he said quietly.

"Oh, so it was just consolation?" she asked, a mocking tone entering her voice. "A 'sorry for trying to kill you' kiss?"

"No," he said tersely. "But you seem to be overlooking the fact that it happened at all."

"That wasn't even you," she said. "That was a homicidal sun, for god's sake! What the hell does that have to do with _anything_?"

"Rose, you don't get it," he said. "I've destroyed your whole life, and then I nearly killed you. I just…I can't do this anymore."

"What are you _talking_ about?" she demanded. "Can't do what, exactly?"

"Rose…" He scrubbed a hand down his face before he looked back at her. "Sooner or later, you're going to realize what being with me has done to you. I've taken everything from you…your family, your friends, you chance at a normal life. Everyone else, they could go back. You don't have anything to go back to. And that, having nothing else, that's not a good enough reason to be together."

"Is that why you're with me, Doctor?" she asked him. "Cause I'm all you've got?"

"No, of course not," he said scoffed.

"But you think that's the only reason I'm with you," she said in a hard voice.

"Not right now," he said reluctantly. "But eventually, when you realize—"

"When I realize _what_, Doctor?" she demanded. "You don't think I'm aware of what I lost? You didn't take that from me. Life took that from me."

"_My _life took that from you," he corrected her bitterly.

"It's my life too!" she shouted. "And, in case you forgot, I knew that was going to happen when I came back."

"Can't you hear how _twisted_ that is?" he asked her, spinning around to face her completely. "You came back knowing full well that you would lose everything. Why?"

"I would have lost it all if I _hadn't_ come back!" she cried. "I would have _died_ in that other world, alone and miserable—"

"Exactly!" he said, advancing towards her. "Any way you shake it, your life was doomed from the minute you met me. Doomed to pain and misery and loss and fear." He turned, running a hand through his hair. "Even the thing that was supposed to make us happy, the thing that let you keep your promise, it's a curse. The things that have changed you, they've hurt you and made you a target. Even aside from that, you're the one who's going to have to watch everyone you care about wither and decay now. That's what being with me means."

"I'll still have you," Rose said quietly. "And you didn't let me finish. I would have died alone and miserable…but you would have had to live that way. Now you don't. We both get to have someone who can give us forever."

He glanced at her in annoyance and shook his head. "You know, you could have found someone human. Someone who could have made you happy, given you a family, grown old with you, but oh no, you had to go for the mad man in a box—"

"That has nothing to do with it," she said quickly. "I don't care if you're a mad man or an alien or human or if you live in a box or a palace or an Estate flat. I love _you_."

"Don't say that," he said quietly.

"So hard to believe that I'd still love you if you weren't the almighty Doctor, last of the Time Lords, defender of the universe with the whole of time and space at your fingertips?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

He shook his head again and looked away, a muscle working in his jaw. "It doesn't matter. One day, you're going to understand exactly what a wreck your life is because of me," he said in a low voice. "And then you're going to resent me and leave. I'm just trying to make that eventuality a little less painful."

"Oh my _god_," she said her eyes widening as he looked at her sharply. "Oh my god, you're doing it again. You're…oh, you stupid bloody—"

"What am I doing _again_, exactly?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"You're terrified, so you're pushing me away," she said. "God, Doctor…you _never_ believed I would actually stay, did you? You really are a piece of work, you know that?"

"Rose, I know that _you_ believe that you'll stay—"

"Stop it!" she shouted, angry tears in her eyes as her hands curled into fists. "Just stop it! God, you take control freak to a level previously undiscovered, you know that? You would actually rather quit than take the chance that you might be wrong, that someone might actually stay, might actually love you. You selfish _bastard_."

"_Selfish_?" he asked loudly, incredulous. "How is this _selfish_? I'm trying to give you the out that I know you'll eventually need because I love you too much—"

"Don't you dare," she said in a low, dangerous voice, and he stopped to stare at her. "Don't you dare tell me you love me. Don't you dare use that as an excuse. Because you don't get it. If you say we're through, you're not just throwing away your chance at happiness, you're taking mine away from me, the only one either of us have left. All because you just can't handle letting go and trusting someone else. Because you've always got to have a way out of everything, on your terms and yours alone, even if it's something good, even if getting out means hurting someone else."

"That's not—"

"Don't," she snapped. "Because that's _exactly _what it is. God, Doctor…I am so tired. I am _so _tired of fighting against your demons, against _you_, for something we both want just because you're too bloody broken to accept it."

Her words hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest. He knew it was true, he'd said it often enough about himself, but to hear it from her, the one person who thought he could be fixed, that he could be better… he swallowed hard and took a breath, standing straighter and arching an eyebrow.

"Then stop," he suggested calmly.

"Stop what?"

"Stop fighting," he said in a hard voice. "You're right. I'm too broken. So do us both a favor, and just stop trying to fix me. Walk away, like you should have done the minute you came back. Save us both anymore grief."

She stared at him for a second, her mouth hanging open. Then she snapped it shut and looked away, blinking rapidly.

"You know what, fine," she said in a hollow voice. "I'm done. You want to run? Have fun. I hope you and your _issues_ have a wonderful life together."

She pushed past him, knocking him to the side so he lost his balance and had to grab onto the console to keep his footing. She didn't even pause as she strode off into the corridor. He stared into space for a moment, breathing heavily, before ripping something off the console and hurling it across the room to shatter against the wall.


	30. Aftermath

_**That was...quite a response yesterday. Yeah, this one isn't going to be resolved quite as easily as some of their other spats. Won't stop Martha from trying, though. Too bad the most consistent law in the Whoniverse seems to be that if something can possibly get worse...it probably will.**_

_**Oh, and for Bambi...never fear; the Master will indeed be included in this story.**_

**oOoOo**

"You should try this, Martha," the Doctor was saying at dinner.

Martha eyed the yellowish goop suspiciously. "I think I'm alright."

"Really, you'll love it," he insisted.

"No, I—"

"Ignore him, Martha," Rose said from the other side of the table. "He just can't help pushing his opinions on people."

The Doctor scowled as he looked over at her. "Only when people are too stubborn to see what's good for them."

"Because you are the authority on what's best for _everyone_," Rose said with an eye roll as Martha sighed heavily as what had become a familiar scene played out.

"After 900 plus years, yeah, I'd say I have some experience," he retorted.

"Experience?" Rose asked, arching an eye brow. "Is that what we're calling forcing choices on people and running away?"

"You know, I think I'm really just not that hungry," Martha offered as the other two stared icily at each other over the table.

"I think I've lost my appetite as well," Rose said, dropping her fork and standing up quickly, stamping out of the room without a backward glance. The Doctor stared after her for a moment, a muscle working in his jaw. Then he too stood, dropping his plate into the sink with a bang that made Martha jump before striding out. Martha sighed again, folding her arms on the table and resting her head on them.

The first thing she'd noticed after they escaped the living sun was that the door carved with the weird circles and lines had disappeared from the hall, and one with a rose had taken its place. Then she ran into the Doctor stalking through the corridors in a foul mood, an intensely closed off and furious expression on his face. Then, when she saw Rose, the bracelets had disappeared, and her key was hung with simple twine instead of the beautiful necklace that usually suspended it around her neck. After two weeks, Martha was having flashbacks of her parents' divorce—Rose and the Doctor were rarely in the same room together, and when they couldn't avoid each other's presence, they alternated between cold civility and arguing about _everything_. She started to believe what they'd said about the TARDIS being sentient…unpleasant hums were permeating the ship, and more than once Martha had been alone with Rose or the Doctor only to have the other enter whatever room they were in with an intensely confused look on their face, claiming to have been trying to get somewhere else before making a swift exit.

But Rose was still there, and the Doctor didn't seem inclined to ask her to leave. They didn't seem to want anything to do with each other…but they couldn't seem to let each other go, either.

She didn't get it. Until two weeks ago, their relationship had seemed like the ideal everyone strived for—they cared about and supported each other, seemed to genuinely enjoy each other, trusted and respected each other…and were so in love it almost hurt to watch. Thing was, Martha was certain they still were, regardless of whatever problems they were having. Neither of them wanted to talk about it, which didn't surprise her in the least, but when they were together, she'd caught both of them looking at the other when they didn't think they were being observed, with mirrored expressions of pain and longing. It made no sense, and it bothered her to see two people she'd come to care for greatly, tearing themselves apart for no logical reason that she could see.

She stood up, clearing the rest of the dishes before heading out into the corridor to search for the other two. Whatever was happening between them, it was driving them all mad, and she wanted her friends back. They might not want to talk, but she was going to get to the bottom of this one if it killed her.

oOoOo

She found Rose in the library, going through a photo album. She moved hesitantly across the room and sat down next to her.

"Rose?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

Rose shrugged, brushing her fingers lightly over a picture of her and The Doctor, both their hair done up in retro styles in front of a street lined with union flag bunting.

"What's that from?" she asked quietly.

"Coronation of Queen Elizabeth," Rose replied, a catch in her throat, then she laughed. "First time I actually saw him knocked out cold with a right hook. He _hated _that."

Martha gave a surprised laugh. "I'll have to mention that some time…even the great and glorious Time Lord can be taken out with a good punch."

Rose shook her head. "He doesn't know anything about it. It didn't happen this time."

"Wait…what?" Martha asked, confused. "But…you just said…_what_?"

Rose looked at her sideways and sighed. "You know how I told you before that asking how long we've travelled together depends on who you ask?" Martha nodded. "Well, here's the thing…"

Martha sat in stunned silence as Rose explained about travelling with the Doctor once, ages ago, before getting trapped in a parallel world after Canary Wharf, only to be brought back by the TARDIS because she was apparently dying and the Doctor evidently going mad, even though they hadn't been properly together the first time. She tried to wrap her mind around the idea of Rose reliving two years of her life right under the Doctor's nose and not being able to tell him about any of it until after Canary Wharf, because the timelines were unstable and certain things, like her being able to live as long as him, would just make matters worse if she didn't make it past that point.

"And your family?" she asked finally when the story was over. "Are they still…"

"Parallel world, yeah," Rose told her, nodding. "That's why I can't see them anymore."

"That's just…wow," Martha breathed. That certainly put her bouts of homesickness into perspective. "And he really didn't catch on?"

"Oh…he did," Rose said, her eyes unfocusing as she remembered something, a look of pain crossing her face. "It…didn't go well. But it worked out in the end. He was mostly just upset because he didn't know what was going on. He doesn't handle being in the dark very well."

"There's a lot of things he doesn't handle well, when it comes to you," Martha observed.

Rose snorted. "You have no idea. It's not just me, though. Psychologists would have a field day with that man."

"Is that why you broke it off?" Martha asked hesitantly.

Rose was quiet, looking back down at her photo album. "No," she said finally, but didn't seem keen on saying more as her fingers passed over another picture, this one of Rose with two men Martha hadn't seen before. The one on her right was gorgeous and fairly oozed confidence, with a dimpled grin and laughing blue eyes. The one on her left looked a little stiff and awkward, arms crossed and fairly glaring at the camera with eyes that, while also blue, were like ice. Rose was smiling, resting her head on the shoulder closest to her of the stiff one while her hand snaked around to his opposite shoulder, her other arm around the waist of the confident man. She couldn't help but feel that the Doctor wouldn't have been thrilled with how comfortable she was around either man. He could get awfully possessive when he wanted to.

"Who're they?" Martha asked curiously.

Rose gave her another sideways look. "Well…that's Captain Jack," she said, pointing to the handsome one. "We met him during the Blitz. He travelled with us for a while, saving the universe and charming the pants off anything he had a chance to say hello to."

"Classy," Martha said with a grin, and Rose snickered. "And the other one?"

"That's…that's the Doctor," Rose said. "Back when I first met him…or when he first met me…whatever."

"What?" Martha asked sharply, leaning forward to look closer. "No it's not. How could that be the Doctor?"

"There's this thing he does," Rose said slowly. "When he's…hurt. Really hurt. Going to die kind of hurt. He changes his whole body, every cell, becomes a whole new man. Back when I looked into the Vortex, I managed to save his life, but having that running through my head was going to kill me. He took it out of me…but he changed because of it."

"That…that's insane," Martha said, and Rose's eyebrows shot up. "No, no, I don't think _you're_ insane…I believe you. It's just the Doctor…everything about him is so…mad…so…"

"Alien?" Rose asked with a smirk. "Tell me about it."

"But is he still…him?" Martha asked.

"Sort of," Rose said with a shrug. "I mean, the looks, the personality, the ways he talks and his mannerisms change. But the memories, the morals, that brilliance and courage that's so completely him…that's all the same. He's still the Doctor, whatever face he wears."

Her face had gotten a soft smile as she spoke, looking down at the photos as she flipped a page, the book now showing both versions of the Doctor on facing pages.

"You still love him," Martha said softly.

"Yeah," Rose said, sniffing and wiping a hand over her cheek as a tear fell.

"So why can't you tell him that?" Martha asked impatiently. "You can both stop moping about and fighting like this."

"It's not as simple as that, Martha," Rose said, looking up at her.

"Maybe you're just making it too complicated," she snapped, then felt bad when Rose looked away hurriedly. "I'm sorry. It's just…you two love each other so much, you're practically made for each other. I just don't get what could come so far between you two."

"The same thing that always does," Rose said bitterly. "The Doctor. This isn't the first time he's done something like this, Martha. I just can't do it anymore."

"What do you mean?" Martha asked. "What happened before?"

"France," Rose said darkly. Martha stared at her while she sat and stewed on some bad memory, chewing on her nail. Then she looked up again at Martha, and it was like she flipped a switch. "Right, that's enough getting mugged on Memory Lane for me. Let's go find something silly and mindless on telly and forget that the real world is such a pain in the arse."

oOoOo

It wasn't until the following day that Martha ran into the Doctor. She found him out on what had become known as "Rose's balcony," leaning on the railing and staring out at the simulated sunset over London.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Martha asked, putting her hands on the railing next to him.

"Oh, Martha Jones," he said with a smirk. "Why on earth would you want to waste your money like that?"

"Morbid curiosity," she said with a smile, and he chuckled. He looked back out at the skyline, and the smile slipped from her face. "Doctor, you know she still loves you, right?"

"Don't, Martha," he said quietly, looking down.

"But Doctor—"

"Don't," he repeated, straightening as he turned to look at her. "It's neither your business nor your concern."

"But she spent two years fighting to stay with you," Martha said as he moved to leave, and he froze. "She did that because she loves you. Why would you let that go?"

"She told you about that?" he asked, turning his head slightly with his back still turned.

"Yeah," Martha said, nodding. "And she told me how you…you changed. Why would she do all that twice if she didn't want to be with you?"

"She did it to save her own life," the Doctor said in a hard voice, moving towards the door again.

"Is that it, then?" Martha asked. "Do you feel like she manipulated you into feeling the way you do because you didn't know what she was doing…like it wasn't real?"

He whipped around so fast she jumped back into the railing, and he advanced until he was towering over her.

"I _never_ want to hear that again," he said in a low, dark voice. "Do you hear me? Never, _ever_ make any implication that how I feel is any way tarnished by the efforts she made, and certainly not around her. Is that perfectly clear?" Martha nodded weakly. "Good," he said, backing up, the darkness in him receding once again. "Well, then. I think we're done here."

"Doctor, I didn't mean any offense by it," Martha said as he turned to leave once again. "I just don't understand how you can care so much about her but still want to end things." He paused at the door, and she took a breath. "You're better with her."

"I know," he said softly. "She's the best part of me. But I'm the worst part of her."

"What do you mean?" Martha asked. "She loves you, she loves travelling with you, going on adventures and saving the world and seeing the whole of time and space. You know she does. You can't tell me that she went through everything she did just to save herself. She changed herself to save your life and give you forever, she let go of everything, her life, her family—"

"Exactly," the Doctor said, turning around again. "She lost everything—her home, her family, her human existence and the future that came with it—all because of me. Instead, she's stuck with a broken man in a box…forever. How long do you think it'll take before all that catches up to her? Another six months? A year? Ten years? Sooner or later, she's finally going to understand what she really gave up, and all those moments, those little incidents where I hurt her or she was hurt because of me, when she's been targeted or in danger because she's not quite human enough anymore, when I've failed her…all of that's going to add up. And what do you think will happen then? Hmm? She's going to wither away, not in her body, but in her soul. I'll have to watch that resentment grow in her every day, until there's nothing left of her. I'd rather her hate me now than see that. Because that would destroy us both."

Martha stared at him, her heart breaking for him. "You're scared," she said softly. "You're completely terrified of losing her. I get that. But Doctor, it must have occurred to you that everything she's done, everything she's been through, it's all proof against exactly what you're saying. She's never gonna leave you. Why can't you believe in her?"

He swallowed hard and took a breath, staring past her at the simulated sky, now dotted with more stars than one would ever be able to see in the real London.

"I do believe in her," he said. "I believe in her brilliance, her capability, her courage, her strength. Oh, I believe in her, Martha…more than I believe in anything else in the universe." His gaze shifted so he was looking at her again. "But she said so herself. I'm too broken. As much as I believe in her…I'll always believe she deserves better, and it's only a matter of time before she sees it too."

"She…she said that?" Martha asked, stunned. She shook her head when he nodded. "No…she couldn't have meant that. She was just angry."

"Maybe so," he admitted. "That doesn't make it any less true." He paused. "It's better this way, Martha. Honestly. It might hurt right now, but if we're just travelling together, instead of…if and when she finds a better option, she'll be free to take it."

"But she doesn't want anything else," Martha said, her tone pleading. "And you can't honestly say you'll be happy if she leaves. All you're doing is inflicting unnecessary pain on yourself and her. Can't you see that?" He stared at her, a muscle working in his jaw. "Doctor, it's okay to be afraid. But you show so much courage, every day. You fight aliens and monsters and living suns…why can't you fight this?"

"Because I don't know how," he said, his voice breaking and his eyes suspiciously moist. Then he took a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth before running a hand over his face. Martha sighed and sagged a little, instantly recognizing in the change in his features and stance that that one crack was all she was going to get.

"Really, though, Martha…leave it alone," he said. "I know you're trying to help, but…just leave it."

He turned and left the balcony, and she followed after him into the corridor. "Where're you going?"

"Console room," he said, his voice business-like again. "There's a planet you girls might like…quite pretty, in a sort of…dark, desolate kind of way. Abandoned, so we'll have it all to ourselves, how's that sound?"

"Yeah…great," she said, trying not to sound too disappointed.

"Right then," he said. "You go find Rose, and I'll do the flying. See you in a bit."

He took off down a corridor, and she was sure he would be willing to travel completely around the TARDIS before hitting the console room if it meant getting out of her presence at the moment. She sighed, but then realized that even just a crack in his armor was something to work with. At least she knew what was wrong now…he was guilty and scared, and Rose was angry and tired. She could work with that…maybe. She was sure that, given a little more time, she'd find a way to help them resolve the whole problem.

Unfortunately, the Family found them first, on a pretty but desolate planet where the Doctor was once again proven wrong…and everything went to hell.


	31. The Chameleon Arch

**Holy cow, you guys! SIX HUNDRED REVIEWS? You're all...just...ridiculously awesome. The line for slapping the Doctor makes me giggle, and I'm loving all the different speculations about Human Nature/Family of Blood. It's interesting to me that so many of you have said that you don't actually like the episodes, and yet have so much to say about what you think will happen. Hopefully none of you will be disappointed.**

**Allons-y!**

**oOoOo**

The Doctor buried his hands in his pockets as he followed his two companions out of the TARDIS. He felt twitchy without Rose's hand securely in his, but that was just something he was going to have to get used to. He knew that breaking it off wasn't going to be as simple as going back to the way they'd been…because really, in this body, they'd never been exactly casual. He missed all the little touches that had become so much a part of them, the absence of which made him feel isolated even when both girls were within arm's distance. His only consolation was in the fact that, without contact, the ache in his mind had begun to recede…which really wasn't a consolation at all, as the ache in his heart seemed to worsen with every hour, with every barb thrown between them, with every cold stare he received from the eyes that held his whole universe.

But it was better this way. It had to be.

"So where are we?" Martha asked, breaking into his thoughts. He shook himself and took a deep breath as he looked around.

"Azurellia," he said. "Some people call your Earth the blue planet, but that's only because they've never seen this one."

"It's beautiful," Rose said, her eyes roving over the rocky terrain that ranged from the lightest baby blue to midnight. The ground had a layered quality to it, seams of different hues running through it, and stones and boulders had stacked themselves precariously in odd little cairns at random intervals between the mountains rising up on the sides.

"It sort of looks like a Dr Seuss illustration," Martha commented.

"Little bit," the Doctor said with a grin. "Slightly more monochomatic, but yeah, I can see that."

"So what are we doing here?" Rose asked, her tone civil but completely devoid of its usual warmth. He sighed, trying to ignore this. At least they weren't snapping at each other.

"Well, there's a dry lake…somewhere close," he said, scratching the back of his head and stopping to look around. "It should be—Martha?"

The girl was frowning and looking around curiously. "No, sorry…I just…I thought I heard something."

"Nah, couldn't have," he said easily. "This place is rich in minerals—that's why there's all the different shades of blue, all representing some other mineral seam—but absolutely incapable of sustaining life for any considerable length of time. No flora, no fauna, no water, even, other than the slight particles in the air. It's all absorbed. No, this place has been abandoned for—" He stopped, tilting his head to the side. There was a breeze, and as it passed, it had almost sounded like whispers.

"You heard it too!" Martha said, pointing at him. "Tell me I'm not crazy."

"You're not crazy," he said automatically, his brow furrowing as he tried to concentrate. He turned, taking a few steps toward the bend in the path they were on, and the whispers grew.

_Feel them…feel life…_

_Such life…such long life…_

_TIME LORD…_

_The Doctor…the Bad Wolf…such life…_

_WE WILL HAVE LIFE…_

The Doctor froze as the words began to take shape, then stepped back toward the girls. They were still at a distance, but coming closer rapidly. Hunters. Capital H. Their real name had been lost when the race had all but died, only a few remaining, scattered across time and space, parasitic mayflies whose short lives were dedicated to plans of longevity and destruction.

Of course they were here. That was just the way his life had been going lately.

"Girls, I need you both to turn around right now and run back to the TARDIS," he said quietly.

"What?" Rose asked.

"Run!" he yelled, spinning around and pushing them ahead of him as the whispers turned to screams, explosions suddenly surrounding them as green lasers shot from behind them.

The three travelers dove into the TARDIS, the TARDIS console sparking madly as it took a shot before the doors slammed shut. All three scrambled to their feet, the Doctor darting over to the two girls, one hand on Martha's arm and the other on Rose's.

"Did they see you?" he demanded urgently, his eyes flicking between them.

"I don't know!" Martha cried.

"But did they see you?" he asked again.

"We were too busy running," Rose said breathlessly. "I...I dunno."

"It's important—did they see your faces?" he asked, near panic. "Either of you?"

"No, they couldn't have!" Martha said finally.

"Our backs were turned when the shooting started," Rose agreed.

The Doctor nodded once and released them, ripping off his coat as he spun around to the console, flicking switches rapidly.

"Off we go!" he said quickly, glancing up as the time rotor wheezed to life, furiously willing it to drag them away from the place.

"I thought you said that place was abandoned," Rose said as she and Martha joined him at the console.

"It was supposed to be," he muttered in annoyance. "Short lived, but resilient enough to live practically anywhere while they're alive." A warning beeped, calling his attention to the monitor. He gave a frustrated growl as he pulled the monitor close to read it. "They're following us."

"How can they do that?" Martha asked. "You've got a time machine."

"Stolen technology, they've got a Time Agent's vortex manipulator," he explained, glancing quickly at Rose. "They can follow us wherever we go, right across the universe." He paused. "They're never going to stop."

He looked up, staring into space and running his hands through his hair as his mind raced, seeking any solution. His old Type 40, magnificent a ship though she was, couldn't hold this pace in the Vortex for long...they'd catch up, and then they'd rip the ship apart to get at them. He could go all across the universe, but they'd always find him and his two extremely expendable companions. Unless...no. Maybe...

"Unless..." he said quietly aloud. "I'll have to do it..." He pulled both girls in front of him as he took a step back. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Martha said.

"With my life," Rose said without hesitation, recognizing the severity of the situation, and he felt a stab of pain.

"It all depends on you," he said urgently, pushing that aside. There were more important things to focus on that _that_ mess right now.

"What does?" Martha asked. "What are we supposed to do?"

He reached down, grabbing one of the chameleon fob watches. "Take this watch, 'cause my life depends on it. The watch, girls, the watch is me."

"...Right, okay, gotcha..." Martha said slowly, and he turned away, readying the Chameleon Arch. "No, hold on!" she cried, racing after him. "Completely lost!"

"Those creatures are Hunters," he explained quickly. "They can sniff out anyone, and me being a Time Lord—well, I'm unique. They can track me down across the whole of time and space."

"Why do they want to track you?" Rose asked. "What do they want? Time Lord head on the mantle?"

"My life," he said quickly. "Like I said, they don't live long. I do. They want my life force to extend their lifespans, and they'll stop at nothing to get it."

"And the good news is?" Martha asked as Rose stared at him.

"They can smell me, they haven't seen me," he said quickly. "And their life's bound to be running out- so, we hide, wait for them to die."

"But you said they can track us, follow us anywhere," Rose said.

He stopped everything, turning to look at them intently. "That's why I've got to do it. I have to stop being a Time Lord. I'm gonna become human."

"You can do that?" Rose asked, shocked.

"Yes," he said, nodding. "But it's...complicated. I don't just stop being a Time Lord. I stop being me. Whole new persona takes over. It's not...not anything I could do long term."

"But that will hide you?" she asked, chewing on a nail.

"It should," he said. "I'll blend in, they won't know it's me."

"What about Rose?" Martha asked, looking concerned.

"What _about_ Rose?" the Doctor asked, staring at her in confusion.

"Well, it's like you said," she said hesitantly, glancing between them. "A human isn't the same as an ape. Won't they be able to tell there's something different about her? I could swear I heard them say something else...they said Time Lord...the Doctor...and..."

"The Bad Wolf," Rose whispered as the Doctor's mind froze in horror. No. No no no no. Not again. She wasn't going to be hurt and targeted _again_ because of this, because of him. "Doctor, they're going to be looking for me too, aren't they? And they'll be able to track me—"

"No," he said quickly. "No, you're close enough to human. You'll be fine."

_You know she will not_, came a buzz in his mind, and he growled in frustration.

_Absolutely not!_ he snarled back at the ship. He was not going to put her through that...he wasn't even sure it would work. The Chameleon Arch was designed for Time Lords and TNA, not Vortex-manipulated human DNA.

"Are you sure though, Doctor?" Martha was asking in concern. "I mean...I know it...bothers you, her being targeted like this, but you can't just ignore it either."

"She's right, Doctor," Rose said. "If we ignore it and they find us because of me—"

"No!" he shouted, slamming his hand down on the console and making them both jump. He took a deep breath, trying to force some measure of calm. They didn't have time for this. "No, Rose, I can't…I can't let you do that. I don't even know what would happen to you."

"Well, it's a good thing that it's not your decision," Rose said, tilting her head up proudly.

"Oh, yes it is," he growled. "My ship, my rules."

"Your ship, my DNA," she countered. "I'm not going to let your ego force a bad decision on me just because of misplaced guilt."

"And I'm not going to let you go through a process that might not even work just because you're too stubborn to listen to reason," he snapped, temper flaring.

_I can protect the Bad Wolf_, the TARDIS sang. _I can hide her away, and restore her, just as I can you._

_You can't be sure, _he said. _Her DNA is too unique._

In response, he saw himself and Rose in the infirmary half a year before as he took DNA samples and ran them through the computer, storing the data to the memory banks.

_It's so much pain,_ he thought insistently. _I don't even know if she'd survive._

Again, a memory played in his mind's eye, this one of the conversation they'd had after the incident at the hospital.

_"__You're used to being the one to save and protect everyone," Rose said. "Just don't forget…stronger than the average human."_

He groaned, closing his eyes and scrubbing both hands over his face. When he opened his eyes again, both girls were watching him expectantly. He let out a stream of curses that the TARDIS refused to translate as he ducked under the console and fished out another watch.

"Martha, this means it's all up to you," he said, cold and business-like in his defeat. "Neither of us will know who we really are. The TARDIS can take care of us...give us places in history, backstories, etcetera, but you're going to have to integrate yourself somehow. We should have enough residual awareness to let you in, but you'll have to improvise."

He turned back to the console and lowered the Chameleon Arch, fighting back the waves of panic and anger both his behalf and Rose's. She'd refused to leave the ship, even after they'd fought furiously and fallen apart, and now, barely two weeks later, he'd landed them in a situation that highlighted exactly why she should stay as far away from him as she could possibly get.

He shook himself. He'd have to deal with that later. Now, they needed to get this done and get into hiding before the Hunters could find them.

"Never thought I'd use this," he muttered. "All the times I've wondered..."

"What exactly does that thing do?" Martha asked.

"Chameleon Arch," he explained. "It'll re-write our biology. Literally changes every single cell in the body. I've set it to human." He took one of the watches, the gold one, and fitted it into a slot in the front of headset.

"But...hold on," Martha said, glancing from him to Rose and back. "If you're going to rewrite every single cell—isn't it going to hurt?"

"Yes," he said tersely. He saw the instant look of regret and apology on her face, but he shook his head. She'd been right about Rose. He might hate it, but she was right. He sucked in a breath and turned to Rose, hating himself instead. "I'm sorry, Rose," he said softly.

"It's not your fault, Doctor," she said, stepping closer. "None of it. Not the Hunters, not why they're after me too." His gaze slid away from her, and she put a hand to his cheek. It was the first time she'd intentionally touched him since he'd broken it off, and he shivered involuntarily, closing his eyes at the contact. The effort he'd put in to keep himself away yielded slightly, and he reached up a hand to brush her hair back before pressing a kiss to her forehead, ignoring the ache as it throbbed to life.

"So...how long are two going to...not be you?" Martha asked as he stepped back from Rose and fitted the headset on her.

"Three months should do it," he said. "They're like mayflies. Within three months, they'll be dead, and we can come back."

"Right then," Rose said, her voice shaking slightly. "Guess I'll see you in three months."

"I'm so sorry," he said again, stepping toward the console to start the process.

"Shut up," she said, taking a deep breath. "Just...let's just get this over with, yeah?"

He nodded and flicked a control, sending a current through the Chameleon Arch. He closed his eyes briefly and bowed his head as she started screaming, knowing the sound would haunt him forever. He forced himself to look back at her, watching her convulse as the current ran through her. He stepped forward just as the process ended, catching her limp form while her final screams were still fading. He carried her over to the jump seat and checked her breathing and pulse—and there was no power in the universe that could keep him from kissing her lips gently before going back to retrieve the watch and replace it with the second one, silver this time.

"She was right, Doctor," Martha said quietly as he adjusted the headset for his own head. "It's not your fault. Not everything that happens in your vicinity is your fault, even if it hurts people. Even if it hurts Rose."

"No, it's not," he said quietly. "But that doesn't change the fact that if she hadn't changed for me, she wouldn't be targeted now, does it?"

As an afterthought, he stopped to record a message for Martha to look over later if she had any further questions or if for some reason anything went wrong.

"Take care of her," he whispered as he gave Martha a final hug. "And thank you."


	32. Temper, Temper

**_So, we're jumping into the human lives of the Doctor and Rose about two weeks before the start of the actual episode. Just a word of warning, I MIGHT take tomorrow off posting to give myself some extra time to get a little more ahead on this arc...it's a bit more ambitious than the others have been thus far, so it's taking more time than I'd originally planned. But I promise, I won't make you wait more than a day or two before I start posting regularly again if I do decide to do that. Depends on how much I'm able to get through today. So, just...don't hate me if there's no chapter tomorrow, alright?_**

**_In other news...seriously, you guys have really upped your reviewing the last few days, and it's awesome. I can't thank you enough. I'm glad you're all so into this story and so excited about what's to come. And again, LOVING the amount of speculation...anyway, Allons-y!_**

**oOoOo**

_Six weeks later._

Marion Lewis snuck back into the school through the kitchens after her early morning walk. It wasn't strictly necessary to sneak, but it was fun, and it had the bonus of being able to avoid the headmaster, who was entirely too severe and stodgy for her taste. The staff smiled and shook their heads as she nicked a warm roll from a tray fresh out of the oven with a cheeky grin. They'd gotten used to their odd little librarian and the strange hours she kept, tramping around the country side—in trousers no less. But she always had a smile and a kind word for everyone, whether professors or school staff, and never acted as if she was above them. Quite the contrary, she was always quick to come to the staff's defense if any of the boys acted cruelly, putting the spoiled little lordlings to work in the library if she caught them giving the staff a hard time, and even they had a difficulty refusing the pretty blonde in a temper. In the six weeks she'd been in residence, she'd obtained universal adoration...with the exception only of Professor John Smith. They had a mutual disdain for each other that perplexed everyone else, because the quiet, absent-minded professor had become equally well-liked and respected in the time he'd been teaching. However, the most any one would hear him talk outside of his classroom was when he was bickering with Miss Lewis about some social issue or other, often leaving everyone else taking part in the discussion in the dust as they traded facts and figures at a rapid rate. It was commonly remarked amongst the staff that they'd be perfect for each other...if they could just stop arguing long enough to see it.

This morning, however, Marion's mind wasn't on proofs or statistics, but on the enjoyment of the crisp late autumn morning and the strange and wonderful dreams she'd had the night before. She put the roll in her mouth and pulled off her gloves as she swiftly made her way up the stairs to her room, nearly running into the Matron as she turned a corner blindly.

"Oh, Matron!" she cried, the roll dropping out of her mouth and into her hand as her cheeks heated in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

"Do you ever?" the Matron said, laughing. "Honestly, Miss Lewis, the way you wander around with your heads in the clouds, it's a wonder you notice anything within ten feet of your person. And really, I've told you before, Nurse Redfern at the very least, but I'd really prefer Joan when the students aren't about."

"Only if you'll finally give in and call me Marion," she said with a grin. "Miss Lewis just sounds so...stuffy."

"And a stuffy librarian is unheard of," Joan said with a smile. "Though I doubt one could ever accuse you of that...really, Marion, trousers?" she asked, eyeing the younger woman in exasperation.

"Dresses and skirts are far too cumbersome to run around fields in," Marion said, repeating herself for what felt like the millionth time. "Trousers are much more efficient."

"I wonder, has it occurred to you that if you have to wear such inappropriate clothing then perhaps you should reconsider your activities rather than your wardrobe?" Joan asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Never," Marion said, beaming. "Though I really should make myself more presentable before the headmaster catches sight of me and goes into fits. Or, worse still, Mister Smith…I shudder to think _he'd_ have to say about a woman in trousers," she added, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, you and Mister Smith," Joan said, sighing. "Can you explain again what it is exactly the two of you have against each other?"

"We're simply from two very different worlds," Marion said with a shrug as she stepped over to her door and opened it. "We'll never see eye to eye on anything. If we ever do…that's the day the world will end."

She munched on her roll as she slipped into her room, shimmying out of her trousers and sighing as she pulled out skirts and a dress more appropriate to her sex. She smiled when her thoughts returned again to her dreams, shaking her head at the fact that the Matron would probably be properly scandalized by the tight fitting trousers and purple top she'd been wearing. She cared less about that, though, then everything else...stepping out of the magic blue box onto a hill overlooking a bay and the beautiful, futuristic city beyond. The grass had smelled like apples, and she'd lain out in it, watching strange vehicles soar through the sky above her. The only thing that marred the dream was the strange presence of John Smith in it. Someone with an ego the size of Yorkshire had no place in such a happy moment. But it was odd...it looked like John Smith, and acted a little like the personality he showed when they would get into some of their more heated debates, when the quiet professor could actually be quite charismatic. But it wasn't him...someone so much more. Someone she cared for quite a lot, and seemed to care for her. Someone called the Doctor.

oOoOo

"And why shouldn't women have the vote?" the librarian asked during supper, and John cringed as he picked up his water glass. "Women are just as capable as men when it comes to making informed decisions. More so, really, if you consider how many men must ask their wives which tie they should wear out of the house every day."

"Decisions on fashion are a far cry from choosing a Prime Minister, Miss Lewis," he commented evenly.

"Without a doubt, but if so many men are incapable of a decision as inconsequential as that, how can they be trusted with deciding who will run the country?" she asked promptly.

"I do believe, Miss Lewis, that were it possible to bully one's way into a seat, you would be an MP tomorrow," laughed Conway, the literature professor.

"I'm sorry," she said, smiling disarmingly. "I was under the impression that's _exactly_ how one got a seat in Parliament."

The others laughed, and John rolled his eyes as he took another drink of water. It wasn't even that he really disagreed with her...he fully supported the suffrage movement. But she was just so damned stubborn about everything. He could swear that, should he stand outside with her and claim that the sky was blue, she would start arguing that it was more a cobalt, _actually_. And the thing was...the thing was, she could back up _everything_...she'd probably have a color chart somewhere on her person. She could argue like no one he'd ever met, and had an unprecedented ability to vex him beyond all reason, all the while smiling merrily.

Except at night. Lately, he'd been having dreams of extraordinary things, fighting monsters and demons on other worlds, all across the universe. There were a great many faces that played parts in these adventures, but Miss Lewis had featured in many as someone he sought to protect even while she fought by his side. In his dreams, he was ancient and haunted, but this version of Miss Lewis, someone called Rose Tyler, was someone he had come to trust and care for above all others. To his alter ego, the Doctor, Rose Tyler _was_ the universe...the thing around which everything else orbited, the thing that made him feel whole, the thing he would fight Heaven and Earth to hold on to. Why this incredible woman had taken the form of the one person John disliked most was a perverse joke of his subconscious that he made a concentrated effort to avoid thinking about too deeply.

"Mister Smith and I both seem to be able to cohabitate within the same school without succumbing to…baser needs," Miss Lewis was saying, and John was shocked out of his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, _what_?" he asked, hoping that he'd missed some vital clue that would make that statement far less inappropriate.

"The Bursar here seems to believe that a co-educational institute would lead to chaos and orgies," the librarian commented dryly. "I was simply making a point that men and women, of any age, can live within the same building and still refrain from less than proper conduct."

"Well, of course nothing would happen between you and Smith," smiled one of the maths professors. "You two wouldn't last two minutes alone without having a row."

"Maybe so," Miss Lewis said, and John arched an eyebrow. "But the point still stands. There's no reason that men and women need to be so divided in education. It sets a standard of disunion and inequality for the rest of their lives."

"Well, I will say this," Walters, the Latin professor, said. "We can be thankful for one thing in this regard."

"What's that?" Miss Lewis asked curiously.

"That you are neither a teacher nor a politician," he said with a smile. "It's good to know that you and your extreme notions are tucked safely away in a dusty library where they can harm no one; only provide us with an evening of charmed amusement."

Her jaw dropped, and she stared at him openly for a moment. Then her mouth snapped shut and she glared at him.

"I'm so glad that my opinions are so amusing to you," she said scathingly. "With such a sense of humor, it's a blessing that _you're_ tucked away in the country with spoiled little heirs to stroke your ego for a passing mark rather than endangering the rest of the world with your small-minded arrogance."

With that, she pushed away from the table and threw down her napkin before stalking out of the dining hall. John watched her go with narrowed eyes. For the first time, he felt irritation on her behalf rather than at her directly. Although it wasn't unheard of for their arguments to devolve into personal attacks, even he'd never been _that_ patronizing, and for some reason it bothered him that she had been so belittled by someone who would likely claim to be her friend…which he found rather annoying in itself.

"Well, we can see what comes of indulging women in politics," Walters said with a chuckle, and John found he'd had quite enough.

"That was uncalled for," John said quietly.

"Oh, come now, Smith," the Bursar said with a frown. "You don't even like the woman."

"No, I don't," John said. "But that's just it, isn't it? _You _do, all of you, and Walters just said to her was far worse than anything I have. What does that say about you?"

"It was all in good fun," Walters said, but looked mildly uncomfortable.

"At her expense," John said as he stood. "It seems to me that the fun was only had by you. Good night, gentlemen."

He turned and strode out of the dining hall, catching up with the librarian on the stairs.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Perfectly fine, Mister Smith," she said cooly.

"You mustn't mind Walters," he told her. "He studies the language and so fancies himself a philosopher, but he's really more of a prat."

"Mister Smith, the only thing Mister Walters is guilty of is being more blatant in his condescension," Miss Lewis said.

"I'm sorry?" John said, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

"Don't pretend that your ego is any less formidable than any of those men in there," the librarian said. "How many times have you argued a point long after you were proven wrong simply because you couldn't admit that a woman was right?"

"I have no problem with a woman being right," he said with a frown.

"Oh, so it's just me then?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No, that's not—" He made an irritated noise, running a hand through his hair. "I was trying to defend you!"

"I never asked you to do that," she said coldly.

"Good lord, you're so obstinate you can't even acknowledge when I've done something kind," he said angrily.

"And you're so arrogant that you actually believe you deserve praise for a moment of civility," she shot back. "I never needed you to be my knight in shining armor."

"Well, rest assured, I'll save myself any such efforts in the future," he muttered.

"That would be a blessing," she said. "At least then you can be proud of your consistency, if not your manners. Good night, Mister Smith."

She turned and proceeded up the stairs, and he glared after her for a moment before turning for his own study. He realized, not for the first time, that it was completely useless to try to have a rational conversation with Marion Lewis. He pitied the man who ever tried to tame _that_ shrew.

oOoOo

Martha shook her head as she scrubbed the floor, trying to ignore the shouting emanating from library once again.

"That'll be your Mister Smith and Miss Lewis again," Jenny commented. "Those two can find anything to argue about."

On cue, John Smith stormed out of the library, only to turn back again just outside the door, jabbing a finger back at someone inside.

"And one more thing—" His words were cut off when he ducked to avoid a book flying at his head.

"No more things, John Smith!" shouted the angry voice of Marion Lewis, her accent now closer to the Doctor's than Rose's own.

"Impossible wretch!" he yelled as he straightened again.

"Bloody-minded fool!" she shouted back before sweeping past him to retrieve the book. She looked up at his astonished face as she rose, dusting the book off carefully. "There's no reason an innocent book should suffer just because you're an idiot. Hello, Martha…Jenny. Lovely day, isn't it?" she added to the two maids, smiling brightly at them.

"You're a lunatic," John said, stunned at her shift in mood.

"And you're a snob," she countered, turning back to the library. "I'm sorry, Mister Smith, but I'm out of soap boxes and out of time. Kindly take your philosophies elsewhere."

He arched an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something else, but she swept past him again before he could get any words out. He made an irritated sound and turned away from the library in a huff.

"Jenny…Martha," he said, nodding to them and straightening his waistcoat with dignity before striding off.

"Those two," Jenny said, shaking her head. "Dunno why they don't just stay away from each other."

"Because that would make too much sense," Martha said with an eye roll.

It made a warped sort of sense that the Doctor and Rose's human personas would annoy each other so much, given the state of their relationship when they'd changed. But they still seemed drawn to one another like magnets. She wondered if that was a bit of their true selves bleeding through as well. Even as humans they were so obviously right for each other it was ridiculous, they just couldn't seem to get past their annoyance with each other to see it. They didn't seem to be aware of how much they talked about each other, even if they were complaining, or how they never seemed so focused on the here and now as when they were talking—or rather shouting at each other.

"True enough," Jenny was saying, and Martha forced herself to pay attention to her friend. "Just like I've been saying since you all arrived: come the end of term, those two will have killed each other or gotten married."

Martha chuckled even while she cringed inwardly on their behalf. As much as she hated the fighting, she didn't want to think about how the Doctor and Rose would react if they came back only to find their human personas had gotten married. Their relationship was complicated enough without any of this.

One thing was absolutely certain…the next five and a half weeks couldn't pass quickly enough.


	33. The Day the World Ends

_**Alright, so...I'm still working on the rest of the arc, so I may skip tomorrow's update as well, but I thought I'd leave this with you this since you were all so understanding about yesterday. Love, love, LOVE all the reviews I got on the first chapter...I did want to do something different with the arc, and I'm glad that you all approve thus far. This is the last chapter before the actual episode starts, I promise...I hope you enjoy it as much as the previous one. I've got to tell you...I personally am a little in love with John and Marion. They're both so impossible, but so, so fun.**_

**oOoOo**

During the week following John's surrender against any possibility of ever seeing what it was that made everyone else love Marion Lewis, the dreams he'd been having took a drastic turn that made him convinced his subconscious was genuinely driving him to madness. He was still the mad adventurer, the Doctor, but the woman Rose Tyler, Miss Lewis' double, began to feature more and more, and the moments with her began to be about another adventure entirely. More than once he'd woken with a groan of longing, still feeling her lips on his, her nails scraping over his scalp, her soft skin under his fingertips. It was getting difficult to look at Miss Lewis during the day now, even while he grew ever more irritated at the way she easily laughed and got along with _everyone_ else, while he couldn't seem to agree with her about _anything, _making him somehow even more prone to heated arguments with her. Sometimes he thought that he'd like, just once, to see her smile like that at him, the way she did with everyone else…the way Rose Tyler did at the Doctor…but then immediately scold himself. While Marion Lewis may well be…attractive, and intelligent, and quite funny around others…no. It was just misplaced affection for a dream girl that looked like her. It had to be. Nothing else made any sense.

He wandered to the library, his thoughts on the dream from the night before. The Doctor and Rose Tyler had saved Shakespeare from witches from another world, then met up on the darkened stage of the Globe Theater, trading quotes from the Bard's own _Much Ado About Nothing_. When Benedick's line about stopping Beatrice's mouth came up, the Doctor hadn't hesitated before pulling Rose Tyler in for…what turned out to be an exceedingly thorough kiss. He'd woken with an incredible feeling of loss…and an intense desire to read Shakespeare. He couldn't find any in his room, however, which left the library as his only resort. He could only hope that he could somehow sneak in and procure the book without being spotted by the librarian.

This much worked well, but he hadn't completely planned out his escape, and her voice rang out as he made his way to the door, making him wince.

"I do hope you're not making off with books, Mister Smith," she called. "Honestly, some of the professors here think this place is just an extension of their personal collections. It's impossible to keep track of anything."

He turned, walking slowly back to her desk and trying very hard not to look like a child caught out, but without, he was afraid, very much success.

"I believe that I may be one of those professors," he said lightly, trying to keep the mood from once again growing hostile.

"I know you are," she said with a smirk as she glanced down at the book. "Shakespeare?" she asked, a note of derision entering her voice.

He sighed in exasperation. "What could you possibly have against _Shakespeare_?"

"Would you believe I find him overdramatic?" she asked, taking note of the date and the book.

"Overd—" He shook his head in astonishment. "Miss Lewis, William Shakespeare was a living legend, a genius, who penned some of the best works in recorded human history."

"Be that as it may,I don't believe I'm under any obligation to enjoy said works," she said dismissively.

"What, none of them?" he asked, bemused.

"Well…I am rather partial to _Much Ado About Nothing_," she admitted, and he looked at her sharply. "What? Something the matter with that?"

"Nothing at all," he said with an eye roll to cover his sudden discomfort as he took the book from her, stepping away hurriedly when their fingers brushed. "Just utterly predictable."

"In what way?" she asked, coming around her desk as he started to walk away.

"Because, Miss Lewis, you seem to delight in being contrary for contrary's sake alone," he said, turning back to her. "You say that Shakespeare is overdramatic, yet the one play you _do_ like involves a girl fainting dead away at an accusation of impropriety, and taking part in a ruse constructed by her family and _minister_ to make her fiancé believe her dead rather than any of them do anything logical like question the parties involved. Although…I do see how you could find a kindred spirit in Beatrice," he added, eyeing her distastefully. "Lady Disdain is a fitting title for you both."

"And you would prefer, what, Hamlet?" she asked. "The lonely prince who would love nothing more than to wallow in his own misery, holding onto his pain and destroying the one thing that could make him happy rather than simply doing away with the uncle and saying to hell with the rest of Denmark?"

"You're completely ignoring the intricacies—"

"Oh, and I suppose you would know every detail—"

"Well, I'm obviously more aware—"

"Clearly, how could I _possibly_—"

"How could you _possibly _be this stubborn?" he asked, cutting her off.

"How can you be _so_ egotistical?" she shot back.

He glared, towering over her, while she scowled back without flinching. He was suddenly aware that at some point in their dispute, they had stepped closer to each other, and were now standing toe to toe and fuming. Then something shifted.

While John was well aware that Marion Lewis and the imagined Rose Tyler were not the same, he suddenly, inexplicably, wanted to know what her lips would feel like under his, what it would feel like to hold her close while her fingers buried themselves in his hair. His breath hitched as his gaze dropped down to her lips for just an instant, and when he looked back up into her eyes, she was staring at him in shock…mixed with, perhaps, the slightest bit of curiosity. He swallowed hard, suddenly completely unsure of himself in her presence.

"Oh…I'm sorry," a voice said from the doorway, and they stepped away from each other hurriedly. "I can come back later…"

"Ah, Latimer," John said loudly, looking up. "No, no, it's quite alright. I was…just leaving. Good day, Miss Lewis."

"Good day, Mister Smith," she said, and he cast one more confused glance over her before striding out of the library.

oOoOo

Several days later, Marion was still stewing about the strange incident that had occurred in the library with John Smith. In that moment, something had changed in him, and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it. They still argued, but his heart just didn't seem to be in it anymore. Just the night before, he'd held his hands up in defeat before the debate had even gotten very heated, conceding to her point and wishing her a good night, giving her a strangely intense look before taking his leave. What was worse was that she found herself wanting to switch tracks, searching in vain for something they could actually agree on to keep him in her presence for a little longer. It was absurd. The man seemed to know every button to push to make her absolutely livid…why should she care if he departed a little earlier in the evening? She should be thrilled. So why wasn't she?

It had to be because of the dreams. The dreams about a man who looked like him but wasn't him. The man that the dream version of her cared for deeply…and expressed her affection quite freely. There were moments in the dreams now that made her blush, the way the Doctor would hold her close, parting her lips with his to kiss her deeply, just before—

But that was the Doctor, some fantasy created by her sleeping mind. There was absolutely no relation to the infuriating creature that was John Smith. Except…he'd actually smiled at her more than once these past few days, and when he did she couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was more to him than she'd allowed herself to consider—something under the maddening conceit and scorn.

These disconcerting thoughts were still swirling around her head when Joan entered the library and invited her on a walk into town. Marion jumped at the invitation, seeking any relief from her worrying new musings about the history professor.

"Well, this proves it," Joan said with a smile as they walked down the lane, their arms linked. "It is possible to wander and still dress appropriately."

"Wander, maybe," Marion said. "But explore? Hardly."

Joan shook her head and laughed. "I wonder, Marion…do you think you'll ever grow up?"

"I sincerely hope not," she replied with a grin. "Anyway, there's no point in being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Joan said. She paused, then gave Marion a sideways glance. "Marion, have you heard about the dance?"

"Oh, I think I saw something about that," Marion said. "It's in a few days, right? Are you planning to attend?"

"Well, I thought it might be fun," Joan said hesitantly. "Only no one's asked me yet."

Marion looked at her friend carefully. "Did you have someone in particular you wanted to ask you?" Joan blushed, and Marion knew she'd hit the nail on the head. "Joan Redfern! Who is it, then?"

"Well…I do find myself a little fascinated with Mister Smith," Joan said reluctantly, and Marion stiffened. "He's very kind, and quite intelligent, if a bit...scattered. And even you, Marion, cannot deny that he's quite handsome."

"I suppose," Marion said slowly, her eyes focused on the middle distance. "Do you…do you believe he shares your interest?"

"I really have no idea," Joan said with an embarrassed laugh. "Would it be so unthinkable?"

"No, of course not," Marion said hurriedly, ducking her head as she felt heat rise to her face. The image of Mister Smith came unbidden to her mind, the moment he'd stood so close, his dark eyes intense as they flicked down to her mouth as if, just for a moment, he considered kissing her instead of fighting with her. "I just…I'm not sure that he would be best for you."

"You're the only one that seems to have any problem with him," Joan said, arching an eyebrow. "Or…has that changed? Is all this hostility just to mask your own interest in Mister Smith?"

"Of course not," she scoffed enthusiastically, regaining her composure. "No…I just…I'm not sure someone so self-involved can be trusted to care for my friend is all."

"Hmm." Joan studied her for a moment, but Marion kept her face neutral, and the Matron seemed satisfied after another moment. "Well, Marion, I appreciate the concern, but I do know somewhat how to care for myself. And this is all assuming that he is at all interested. Perhaps you should hold off judgment until it's warranted."

"Of course," Marion murmured. She knew it had taken her friend quite a lot to even admit that she was attracted to another man after losing her husband, so she didn't want to dismiss her in any way. And really, why should it matter to her if Mister Smith and Joan became involved? At worst it would mean they would both have to make an attempt to keep civil tongues for the sake of Joan.

It was just that Mister Smith was so arrogant and full of himself. That was her problem with it. She didn't want Joan to be hurt because Mister Smith couldn't see past his own nose. She found it hard to believe that he was actually capable of interest in anyone other than himself, regardless of how he might have looked at her that day in the library. But Joan was right…she wasn't some school girl with no ability to protect herself; she had every right to pursue Mister Smith and find out if her feelings were reciprocated.

Now if Marion could just stop wondering what would have happened had Timothy Latimer waited five more minutes before entering the library, everything would be perfectly fine.

oOoOo

John paced his room restlessly. It was late, he should be in bed, but just the idea of staying still made him itch. He'd already planned out his lessons for the next two months straight, tried writing and reading, but nothing was holding his attention.

Last night, in his dreams, the Doctor had left Rose, saying it was for her own good. Something had happened, and he'd broken it off with her to save them both from growing resentment later. He was an old, wounded man, and he lived in fear that if he didn't leave her, she would leave him eventually. He'd woken up with an ache in his heart for that imaginary girl, one that he couldn't quite shake. If that wasn't bad enough, in the waking world, Marion Lewis was becoming more and more of a distraction. Since that moment in the library, she'd become a bit of a fantasy for him in her own right. It was harder to fight with her…there were still moments she'd irritate him and pull him in, but then he'd stop and actually listen to her, to the intelligence and dry humor she used to express herself, and he'd run out of whatever steam he'd had quite abruptly. He couldn't help wondering, when her eyes flashed and temper flared, what all that passion would be like if harnessed for a different purpose.

It made no sense. While he'd never looked down on the fairer sex as many of his peers did, he'd also never really found any place for them in his personal life, and certainly never been driven to distraction by a woman. But Marion Lewis, for all her faults, was undoubtedly far from ordinary. She was willful and outspoken and opinionated…as well as articulate, knowledgeable…and really quite beautiful. He couldn't for the life of him understand how, up until a week or two ago, he couldn't stand the woman, and now he couldn't seem to get her out of his head. It was all completely illogical.

And completely inconsequential, because she clearly still detested him. One heated moment obviously had not had the same effect on her that it had on him, and he was at a loss for how to change her opinion of him now, even while he was still trying to figure out why her opinion was suddenly so important. He ran a hand through his hair absently before lunging desperately for his coat and hat. Despite the late hour, he felt a sudden urgent need for fresh air and the ability to think out of doors.

He made his way out of the school as swiftly and silently as possible, and immediately felt better when the cold night air hit his face. He walked off the grounds and trailed along the lane, emptying his head of all thoughts as he wandered between the peaceful fields under the starlight. No one else in their right mind would still be out at this hour, and he reveled in his solitude…until he saw a figure in a field looking up at the stars. He stared in confusion for a moment before cautiously stepping closer, very nearly groaning when he realized who it was: Marion Lewis, in trousers no less…_ever_ the willful one.

"It's a rather chilly night for stargazing, Miss Lewis," he called when he was still several feet away, and smirked when she jumped, startled.

"It didn't stop you," she noted as he stepped closer.

"So it would appear," he said quietly, stopping next to her and clasping his hands behind his back as he looked up at the sky. It really was a glorious night, free of clouds and full of stars. "Have you spotted any constellations yet?"

"I don't really know any," she said with a shrug.

"Really?" he asked, glancing down at her. He saw her chin tilt up proudly, and he hurried on before she tried to argue anything. "I just mean we should remedy that. Let's see…" He looked up, turning a little while he searched for different ones that he knew. "Alright, down near the horizon, do you see the…sort of scoop with the handle? That's the Plough," he said, pointing. "It's part of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. If you follow the tip of the scoop up, that will bring you to Polaris, the north star, and the tail of Ursa Minor, the little bear. The two stars at the end are also sometimes known as the Guardians of the Pole."

"Bears don't have tails," she said, and he looked down to see her watching him with a small smile.

"That's true," he admitted, his lips twitching. "But…well…Greeks," he said by way of explanation, pulling a face and grinning when she actually laughed.

"Do you know any others?" she asked, almost hesitantly.

"Oh, yes, of course," he said using his hand as a pointer again. "If you travel up from Ursa Minor, you see the…sort of sideways "w"? That's Cassiopeia. And…if we turn this way—" He took her arm, pulling her around before lifting his arm again to point. "Down there, a little above the horizon, you can see Taurus, the bull…see the horns? The bright "v" shape is the face of the bull, and if you follow it up, there's a star cluster marking its shoulder; that's the Pleiades—the Seven Sisters." He glanced down at her again, smiling gently at her enraptured face.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"It certainly is," he murmured, still looking down at her. He looked away hurriedly when she glanced up at him curiously, clearing his throat awkwardly and clasping his hands behind his back again. "Yes, well…at least now you can't say that you don't know any constellations."

"That's true," she said slowly. "Thank you, Mister Smith."

"My pleasure, Miss Lewis," he said sincerely.

Marion looked back up at the stars as they stood for a moment in companionable silence. She suddenly felt more confused than ever. She hadn't seen the usual arrogance she loathed as he happily pointed out constellations to her, and she was actually enjoying his presence. But somehow…it was more than that. When he'd taken her arm to pull her around, the innocent touch had been like an electric shock, and she'd suddenly become intensely aware of his nearness. Then catching that penetrating look in his eye again as she looked up at him…

"It's late," she said suddenly, completely unsure of herself and needing to escape him. "I should really get back to the school."

"Quite right," he said quickly. "You'll allow me to escort you, I hope?"

"I made it out here fine on my own," she said. "I'm sure I can find my way back free of incident."

"Be that as it may," he said calmly, "I'd feel much better knowing for myself that you arrived safely. Perhaps, just this once, you could humor me?"

"Absolutely not," she said, and his face hardened slightly in frustration. She hesitated, worrying her bottom lip for an instant. "However," she said slowly, almost painfully, "if you're going back to the school anyway…I wouldn't be opposed to walking near you on the journey."

He eyed her for a moment, then his face split into a grin as he laughed, shaking his head. "You are completely impossible."

"Are you coming?" she asked, walking backward toward the lane. He sighed, shaking his head again as he followed, and she turned as he caught up. They walked along in silence for a moment, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

"I wonder, Miss Lewis," he said after a moment. "Do you think it would be possible for this apparent truce to extend beyond tonight?"

She glanced sideways at him. "It's…possible. Are you sure you'd want to be friends with someone as impossibly stubborn as me?"

"I think I could find a way to look past it," he said with a smirk. "So long as you believe you can withstand my planetary sized ego."

"It will be such a burden," she said with a long-suffering sigh, then laughed when he rolled his eyes as he held the door to the school open for her. "Well then, Mister Smith…as you can see, safe and sound."

"So it appears," he said, arching an eyebrow as they made their way to the stairs. "Perhaps…if we're to be friends…you could call me John."

Her face heated slightly as she gave him a small smile, cursing inwardly at her sudden bashfulness. "I'd like that. And you can call me Marion, of course."

"Lovely," he said softly as they reached the landing. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then reached a hand up, brushing away a few stray hairs that had fallen from her bun before caressing her cheek lightly with his thumb. He smiled softly and her breath hitched as her lips parted slightly. "Thank you for a…surprisingly splendid evening, Marion. Good night."

"Good night, John," she said as his hand fell away. They both turned toward opposite halls, destined for their separate rooms, but she stopped when he called to her.

"Oh, Marion? The trousers," he said, eyeing them for a moment before looking back up with a smile. "They suit you."

He turned away again and she smiled, watching him walk away before turning back for her own room. His touch still lingered on her cheek as she changed for bed, thinking that being friends with John Smith had the possibility of being distinctly more pleasurable than being enemies.


	34. Human Nature Part 1

_**Sorry I've been so unreliable about posting lately...I think I've got most of this arc worked out now, though, so I'll try not to keep you waiting anymore.**_

_**Oh, oh, and...there's a lovely bit of fanart done by the brilliant Miss Moria linked on my profile of John and Marion. Go check it out!**_

**oOoOo**

Martha carefully carried John Smith's breakfast tray up to his room, swearing once again that if the Doctor had any ideas of this sort of treatment continuing once he came back, she'd sock him. It would be nineteen thirteen that him and his bloody ship would put them in, where she had no options other than being a maid. She had realized early that this may well have been completely on purpose—it was far easier to transplant herself in their lives as a lowly, dark-skinned maid than anything else, having no evidence of previous existence—but after two months, it was getting old. Add in the fact that she was charged with looking after two people that seemed bent on driving her and each other completely mad, she was fit to be tied. Both of them would be getting a stern lecture from her when they finally turned back into themselves.

_One more month_, she thought as she plastered on a cheery smile, knocking on John's door lightly before entering his room.

She entered the room to see John sitting on his bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Pardon me, Mister Smith," she said, her eyes widening slightly as she turned away. "You're not dressed yet. I can come back later—"

"No, it's alright, it's alright," he said quickly, cutting her off as he stood and pulled on his dressing gown. "Put it down."

She walked over to the table, keeping her eyes politely lowered as she set the tray down before turning for the windows, feeling John's eyes on her the whole time.

"I was, um…" He trailed off thoughtfully. "Sorry, sorry," he said, then paused. "Sometimes I have these extraordinary dreams."

"What about, sir?" she asked carefully as she pulled the curtains open.

"I dream I'm this...adventurer," he said slowly. "This…daredevil, a madman. 'The Doctor', I'm called. And last night I dreamt that you were there, as my…companion. You…and Miss Lewis."

"A teacher, a housemaid, and a librarian," she said with a laugh as her mind whirred. "Not the most realistic combination, Sir."

"I was a man from another world, though…" he said with a smile before wandering around the room.

"Well it can't be true because there's no such thing," she said decisively. Best to keep him from thinking too hard on these dreams of his. She'd have to find a way to ask Rose—Marion—later if she was having dreams as well. If they compared them—hold on, had he actually said her name _without_ bitterness for once?

"This thing…" he was saying, breaking into her thoughts as she looked up sharply to see him pick up one of the watches on the mantle. "The watch..." She watched him warily, wondering how he would react to her snapping it from his fingers before he opened it. She breathed a sigh of relief when he placed it down again on the mantle. "Ah, it's funny how dreams slip away," he said, turning back to her. "But I do remember one thing; it all took place in the future. In the year of Our Lord two thousand and seven."

"I can prove that wrong for you sir," she said, handing him the newspaper. "Here's the morning paper. It's Monday, November tenth, nineteen thirteen, and you're completely human, sir. As human as they come," she added with a smile.

"Mmm, that's me," he said, scanning over the paper before looking back up at her. "Completely human."

"If you don't mind my saying, Sir," she said hesitantly. "You mentioned Miss Lewis…do I detect slightly less animosity surrounding our resident librarian?"

"That's entirely possible," he said, his features softening into smile that reminded Martha strongly of the Doctor, the way he'd looked at Rose before his terror-driven madness had set in. "I believe we may have established some sort of truce, she and I."

"Will wonders never cease," she said, tidying his desk in an attempt to hide her unease. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened to make him change his opinion of her so drastically, or whether that would be better or worse for the Doctor and Rose when they came back. She shook her head, wishing once again that the couple had been able to work out their issues before all this had happened.

She left again with the promise to return later for the tray and began her morning routine. Whole of time and space, they'd said, and now she was bored out of her mind cleaning up after spoiled little brats in a boarding school in an era where her gender and her color made her a lesser being. Just…brilliant.

At least there was Jenny. The other maid was sweet and funny, and made the whole thing a little more bearable. Since day one, they'd been able to pull duties together more often than not, as well as break times. Martha still missed Rose and the Doctor terribly, both having become best friends of hers quite quickly, but it was nice to have someone to talk to and hang out with during her exile in the provincial country town.

"So then, how's Saul?" Martha asked her friend as they found themselves scrubbing the entrance hall floor together midmorning.

"Oh, would you stop!" Jenny cried with a giggle. "There's absolutely nothing happening between me and Saul!"

"You say that," Martha said with a smile. "Only who's walked you back from the pub a full four nights in the past seven, leaving me stranded and alone?"

Jenny's grin turned sly for a moment before she shook her head and giggled again. They sobered quickly as classes broke and boys and men started passing by them. John Smith walked by, looking distracted as usual. When he wasn't around Marion, his mind always seemed miles off.

"Morning, Sir," Martha offered, and he paused at the stairs, looking at her blankly for a moment.

"Yes, hi," he said distractedly before disappearing up the stairs.

"Head in the clouds, that one," Jenny said as she watched him. "Don't know why you're so sweet on him."

"He's just kind to me, that's all," Martha said quickly. "Not everyone's that considerate, what with me being—" She stopped, gesturing to her face.

"A Londoner?" Jenny asked with a smile, deliberately misinterpreting her.

"Exactly," she said with a grin. "Good old London town! Besides…I think our Mister Smith has finally come to realize what the rest of us already knew."

"That he's completely gone on Miss Lewis?" Jenny asked, and Martha nodded with a smile and an eye roll. "Well it's about time."

They both laughed as two senior students walked by, directly over the area they were cleaning, before turning back to them, identical sneers on their faces.

"Ah, now then, you two," one of them said, and they sobered immediately as they looked up at him. "You're not paid to have fun, are you. Put a little backbone into it."

"Yes Sir," Jenny said meekly, looking down again. "Sorry, Sir."

"You there, what's your name again?" the other one asked, looking at Martha.

"Martha, Sir," she told him. "Martha Jones."

"Tell me then, Jones," he said with a look of haughty distaste. "With hands like those, how can you tell when something's clean?"

They both laughed cruelly, but froze when they turned to see Miss Lewis blocking their path, her arms crossed and an eyebrow arched. She had entered just in time to hear this exchange, and it was well known how much she disliked people insulting the staff.

"Hutchinson, wasn't it? And Baines?" she asked, and the boys nodded warily. "Well, you know the rules. I hear anyone upsetting the staff, it's a half hour shelving books in the library. Off you go."

"Miss Lewis," Hutchinson said, annoyed. "This is hardly appropriate—"

"You're right," she said, making both boys stare at her in surprise and the maids exchange a look. "It's hardly appropriate for young men of your breeding and intellect to lower yourselves to hurling barbs based on class or color. There are far too many people in this world worthy of your scorn because of their actions rather than circumstance. Perhaps a half hour shelving biographies will help you remember this." Both boys' faces set in hard lines, but she stared back impassively. "Go on."

"Yes, Miss Lewis," they both said in irritated defeat before turning for the library.

"Honestly, how can that boy's mother ever tell when she's made a good meal, the way that look of distaste is permanently etched on his face," Miss Lewis said when they were out of earshot, shaking her head and looking back at the maids. "Are you alright, Martha?"

"Fine, Ma'am," Martha said with a smile. "Thanks for that. You didn't have to."

"There's no reason you should have to withstand abuse like that," Miss Lewis said. She shook her head again. "They'd probably cry if they had to do your job," she added as she walked away.

Martha smiled. Rose might not be Rose...but she still _hated_ injustice, and Martha loved her for it. Yet another thing that made the whole situation easier to bear: knowing that her friend still had her back, even if she didn't know how close they really were.

"Cor," Jenny breathed. "Never hesitates in taking someone down a peg, does she? Just think though. In a few years' time boys like that will be running the country."

"Nineteen thirteen," Martha said thoughtfully. "They might not."

oOoOo

John backed out of his door holding a stack of books destined for the library, something he fully recognized as a not very subtle ploy to see Marion again, but without much chagrin. In his mind, he kept seeing the way she'd looked the night before, cheeks colored by the cold air, her eyes sparkling and full lips parted slightly as he'd caressed her skin. While being friends with her was a marked improvement, he'd found himself distracted during his morning classes, devising ways of improving the situation even further.

"Good morning, Mister Smith," said a voice, startling him from his introspection and causing him to fumble with the pile in his arms and lose the top book completely. "Oh, here—"

"No, no, it's alright," he said quickly, peering around the pile at the fallen book. "Um…if I just…if you could take these for just a moment—"

"Of course," the Matron said as he handed her the pile and bent down to retrieve the lost one.

"Right…oh, how's Jenkins?" he asked, remembering the boy he'd sent to her earlier.

"Oh just a cold," she said. "Nothing serious. I think he's missing his mother, more than anything."

"Aw, can't have that," he said sympathetically.

"He received a letter this morning so he's a lot more chipper," she said, then looked down at the books in her arms. "I appear to be holding your books."

"Yes, so you are!" he said quickly, snapping back to the present. "Sorry, sorry."

"No, why don't I take half?" she offered.

"Oh, no, quite alright," he said quickly as he started to take the books, realizing that her presence would hinder his plans to get Marion alone again.

"No, I insist," she said, and he glanced at her face, torn. Should he refuse her again, it would seem terribly impolite, as well as possibly suspicious.

"Right, of course," he said in defeat, taking half the books back. "Division of labor."

"We make quite a team," she commented with a smile.

"Don't we just," he said, unable to keep a note of sarcasm from entering his voice, but grateful that she didn't appear to notice. "Um…this way, then."

He nodded down the hall, allowing her to take the lead. She continued to chat with him, and he responded distractedly as he considered his options. Maybe they could just bring the books to his classroom. Then he would have avoided rudeness with the Matron, and still have an opportunity to go to the library. Or maybe he could just drop the pretense and attempt to see Marion again like a normal human being rather than skulking around like an idiot. Good lord, two weeks ago, he couldn't stand the woman, and now he was acting like a school boy with a crush. This was beyond insane.

"I'm sorry?" he said, realizing suddenly that he had no idea what the Matron had just said.

"I was just saying, when it's just you and me, I'd much rather you call me Nurse Redfern," the Matron said. "'Matron' sounds rather…well, matronly."

"Oh," he said blankly. "Ah, Nurse Redfern it is then."

"Though we've known each other all of two months, you could even say 'Joan'," she offered shyly.

"Joan?" he repeated, confused. It seemed strange that she would suddenly want to be so familiar. Not that there was any real reason she shouldn't…after all, they _had_ known each other for two months now.

"That's my name," she said.

"Well, obviously," he said, flustered. There was absolutely nothing wrong with being on a first name basis with Nurse Redfern. He was on a first name basis with Marion, after all, and they were friends. He could be friends with more than one woman. Though, perhaps not quite _as_ friendly as he would like to be with Marion...not that she necessarily wanted...but still.

"And it's John, isn't it?" she asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Yes, yes it is," he said quickly, realizing his distraction had once again led to impossible rudeness.

"Have you seen this, John?" she asked suddenly, nodding to a notice pinned to the wooden board on the landing. "The annual dance at the village hall tomorrow. It's nothing formal, but rather fun by all accounts. Do you think you'll go?"

"I hadn't thought about it," he said slowly, wondering if Marion would allow a...friend such as himself to escort her, or...possibly if someone else had already asked her. After all, they were supposed to have hated each other until yesterday. Was it just yesterday?

"It's been ages since I've been to a dance," Joan was saying. "Only no-one's asked me," she added with a nervous little laugh, and he looked at her sharply. Oh. Oh dear.

"Well, I should imagine that you would be…um…I mean I never thought you'd be one for…" he stammered, realizing he was babbling but unable to stop himself. "I mean there's no reason why you shouldn't—if you do, you may not…I probably won't, but even if I did then I couldn't…um, I mean I wouldn't want to—"

"The stairs," Joan said suddenly, apropos to nothing at all.

"It—what about the stairs?" he asked.

"They're right behind you," she said—just as he lost his footing completely.

oOoOo

"Martha, where's the fire?" Marion asked when the Martha nearly knocked her off her feet skidding through the corridor.

"Oh, R—Miss Lewis," Martha said breathlessly. "It's...Mister Smith, someone said he fell down the stairs...I just wanted to make sure he was alright."

"He—would you mind if I accompany you?" she asked, trying to sound casual. Martha simply shook her head before hurrying down the hall again, Marion following closely.

"Is he alright?" Martha asked as she burst into John's room to see the Matron examining the back of his head.

"Excuse me, Martha," the Matron said, taken aback. "It's hardly good form to enter a master's study without knocking."

"Sorry, right, yeah," she said in annoyance, running back to the door and knocking. "But is he alright? They said you fell down the stairs, Sir."

"No, it was just a tumble, that's all," he mumbled, looking past her to Marion.

"Have you checked for concussion?" Martha demanded, looking back at Joan.

"I have," the Matron said. "And I daresay I know a lot more about it than you."

"I—" she stopped, nodding. Just a maid here. Good to know all that studying was being put to good use. "Sorry. I'll just…tidy your things."

"Miss Lewis, don't tell me you were concerned for Mister Smith's well-being?" the Matron asked in amusement, though Martha could see she was a little worried about the way John had yet to take his eyes off Marion.

"I…well, it's hard for dead men to return library books," Marion said, regaining her composure. "I just wanted to make sure there was still a chance those might yet be recovered."

"There's always a chance," John said with a smirk, and Martha was surprised to see Marion smile back.

"So, John," the Matron said pointedly. "You were telling me about these extraordinary dreams of yours."

"Was I?" John asked absently, looking up at her. "Oh, yes! My dreams. They are quite remarkable tales. I keep imagining that I'm someone else, and that I'm hiding—"

"Hiding?" Marion asked sharply, and Martha glanced up at her uneasily. "In what way?"

"Um…er…almost every night…" John stammered, laughing nervously. "This is going to sound silly—"

"What is it?" she asked, tilting her head a little to one side as she looked at him curiously.

"I dream, quite often, that I have two hearts," John said, a little sheepishly.

"Well then, I can be the judge of that," the Matron said, drawing a stethoscope out of her bag with a smile. She put the stethoscope on and placed it against John's chest, who looked torn between amusement and discomfort as he glanced again at Marion. Joan checked both sides of his chest before removing the stethoscope again with another smile. "I can confirm the diagnosis—just one heart, singular."

"I have written down some of these dreams in the form of fiction," he said, looking up at Marion hopefully. "Um…not that it would be of any interest…"

"I'd be very interested," the Matron offered before Marion could say anything.

"Oh, I—really?" he asked, surprised.

"I should go," Marion said quickly, glancing between the Matron and John uncomfortably.

"Mar-Miss Lewis," John said, standing quickly. "Please, you don't have to—"

"No, it's quite alright," Marion said smoothly. "You seem to be well tended to. Nurse Redfern, I'll meet you for that walk later into town."

"Of course, Miss Lewis," the Matron said before turning back to John. "About these stories…?"

John was silent for a moment as he watched Marion make her exit, then glanced down at the Matron. "Right, yes. Um, just over here," he said, moving across to his desk and pulling out a leather journal. "I've never actually shown it to anyone before," he added as he handed it to her.

"'Journal of Impossible Things'," the Matron read aloud before turning the pages slowly. "Just look at these creatures! Such imagination."

"Mmm. It's become quite a hobby," he said.

"It's wonderful," the Matron said genuinely. "And quite an eye for the pretty girls. Is that...is that Miss Lewis?" she asked, and Martha looked up quickly.

"Oh no no, she's just an invention," he said quickly. "This character, Rose, I call her, Rose."

"She looks quite a lot like our librarian," the Matron remarked, studying him as he looked down at the page.

"I suppose she may bear some resemblance," he said reluctantly, but Martha saw the tell-tale softening around his eyes. The Matron was obviously interested in John Smith...but for the Doctor, human or not, there would only ever be Rose, whatever form she might be in. Martha breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she didn't have to put out _that_fire—even if the Doctor hadn't left specific instructions regarding the possibility, there was no way Martha was going to let him cause even more problems between him and Rose by chasing after someone else.

"Ah, that's the box, the blue box," he was saying when Martha tuned back in. "It's always there. Like a...like a magic carpet, this funny little box that transports me to faraway places."

"Like a doorway?" the Matron asked.

He made a little affirmative noise, looking down at the journal as she turned another page. "I sometimes think how magical life would be if things like this were true."

"If only," the Matron said, and Martha couldn't help but sigh inwardly, missing that very magical life indeed.

"It's just a dream," he said, giving a quiet laugh…but Martha recognized the look of longing in his eyes for the life he didn't even know was his.

"Would you terribly mind if I borrowed this, John?" the Matron asked after another moment. "I have duties to attend to, but would dearly love to examine this fiction of yours more closely."

"Yes, yes of course," John said.

"Thank you," she said warmly. "I'll take my leave then, until later."

Martha followed her quickly as she left, catching up with her in the corridor.

"Ma'am!" she called after her. "That book—"

"Oh I'll look after it," the Matron said, stopping and turning back to her. "Don't worry. He did say I could read it."

"But it's silly, that's all," Martha said a little desperately as the woman made to leave again. "Just stories."

"Who is he, Martha?" the Matron asked as she turned back again.

"I'm sorry?" Martha asked warily.

"It's like he's left the kettle on," the Matron said. "Like…he knows he has something to get back to, but he can't remember what."

"That's just him," Martha said with a nervous laugh.

"And Miss Lewis?" the Matron asked, and Martha stared at her blankly. "They arrived at the same time, and they both have that…distracted quality. Did they know each other before they came here?"

"I don't believe so," Martha said slowly. "I think they're just really alike. Probably why they have such a hard time getting along."

"Hmm," the Matron said, sounding doubtful. "You arrived with him, though, didn't you? He found you employment here at the school, isn't that right?"

"I used to work for the family," she said automatically. "He just sort of…inherited me."

"Well, I'd be careful," the older woman said. "If you don't mind my saying, you sometimes seem a little familiar with him. Best remember your position."

With a nod, she turned again and walked away.

"Yes, Ma'am," Martha muttered, arching an eyebrow before turning back down the corridor.

oOoOo

"That journal of Mister Smith's really is quite fascinating," Joan said as Marion walked with her down the lane towards the pub. "He really has such a talent for creativity."

"Mmm..." Marion said non-committedly. When he had touched her cheek the night before, the look in his eyes had been something close to the one in the library when she'd thought for just an instant that he would kiss her. In that moment, she completely forgot about her friend's interest in the man. Not that it mattered, obviously. All John had offered her was friendship. But she couldn't help feeling a little guilty about it anyway.

"His character does seem to have a bit of a roving eye," Joan commented. "He mentions quite a few ladies that seem to have travelled with him from time to time." Marion glanced at her when she paused. "There is one that he seems to write about a great deal, however. He even went so far as to sketch her. She bears a remarkable resemblance to..."

"To who?" Marion asked curiously.

"Well, to you, in fact," Joan said. "I wonder why that is...considering the two of you could barely stand the sight of each other a few days ago."

"Oh…we've worked out a bit of a truce, is all," Marion said dismissively. "Trying to keep civil tongues for the sake of employment. But anyway, it's just a dream, right? Just the subconscious putting giving face to an imagined person, using borrowed characteristics from someone he knows in his waking life."

"Yes…yes of course," Joan said, sounding almost relieved, and Marion smiled weakly.

_Just friends_, she reminded herself, and resolved to suggest, in a friendly manner, that John invite Joan to the dance. It would be good for both of them.

Her musings were cut short by the flash of green light that made her stumble back, throwing an arm up over her eyes as Joan cried out beside her. It lingered for a moment, then was gone as quickly as it had come. She looked around, and saw it flash again, moving through the fields to their left. She took a step toward it, but stopped when Joan grabbed her arm.

"Marion, what are you doing?" she hissed, her eyes wide with fear. Marion couldn't understand it. She was afraid, yes…terrified. But she was also intensely curious, and a little…angry. Which made absolutely no sense. She should be running away…which, it seemed, was exactly what Joan was urging her to do. She took one last look as the green light vanished again, then ran off down the lane with the Matron.

Martha and Jenny were both outside the pub when they reached it breathlessly. Martha stood up in concern as soon as she saw them.

"Matron, Miss Lewis, are you alright?" she asked, looking them both over.

"Did you see that?" Joan asked in a frightened voice. "There was something in the woods... this light..."

"Anything wrong, ladies?" John asked as he stepped out of the pub. "Far too cold to be standing around in the dark," he added, arching an eyebrow at Marion. "Don't you—"

"There!" Joan cried, cutting him off and pointing into the sky. "There, look in the sky!"

It wasn't the green light like before, but there was definitely something there. It flew through the sky before falling to Earth, leaving a trail before disappearing behind the trees.

"That's beautiful," Jenny said wondrously.

"There…all gone," John said as the light blinked out completely. "Commonly known as a meteorite. It's just rocks falling to the ground, that's all."

"It came down in the woods," Marion said, looking curiously at Martha. The maid's eyes were narrowed in the direction of the meteorite, her face thoughtful.

"No, no no, they always look close, when actually they're miles off," John said. "Nothing left but a cinder."

"Always the expert," Marion said with a sigh and an eye roll.

"Always," he said with a smirk as he turned to them. "Now, I should escort you two back to the school. Ladies?" he asked the maids over his shoulder.

"No, we're fine, thanks," Martha said, still looking at the sky.

"Then I shall bid you goodnight," he said, putting on his hat as he gestured Marion and Joan forward.

"I'm not sure that green light could be explained by a meteorite," Marion said thoughtfully as they walked down the lane.

"Green light?" John asked.

"Oh, yes," Joan said with feeling. "It was so strange, it lit up the whole area around us, and then it was gone. It was moving over the fields beside us when we saw it next."

"Hmm...I would assume it was just an atmospheric anomaly, nothing more," John said after a moment.

"For a history professor, you seem to know quite a lot about the topic," Marion commented with an arched brow.

"Oh, Miss Lewis, you of all people should know by now that I'm quite versed in any number of topics," he replied dryly. "How else would I sustain my arrogance?"

"How indeed," she said, shaking her head. She glanced at Joan, who was watching them with an odd look. "You know, Mister Smith, given your wealth of knowledge, you should really take Nurse Redfern here stargazing."

"Oh?" he asked, glancing down at her.

"Of course," she said. "I'm sure you'd love to learn about the constellations from Mister Smith, wouldn't you, Joan?"

"Oh, by all means, it sounds fascinating," Joan said with a smile. "Do you know very many?"

"A fair amount," he said slowly, glancing between the women before looking forward again thoughtfully.

"Perhaps you could take a stroll tomorrow night, after the dance," Marion suggested, and he looked down at her sharply, thoroughly confused and a little wary.

"I...I'm not sure...it might not be...the best night..." he said vaguely, his thoughts churning.

Between the expression on her face when he'd touched her cheek the previous night and the look of concern on her face when she'd burst into his study this afternoon, John had decided to drop all pretense regarding Marion, sure that she must feel _something_ for him, even if he hadn't managed to take up residence in her heart quite the way she seemed to have in his. He had gone to the pub to bolster his courage, and had left determined to make his intentions toward her clear...except now, she seemed to want none of it. She didn't seem to have fallen back completely on their old routine, but she was, for some reason, making every effort to push him toward Nurse Redfern, and well away from her.

Well, that wouldn't do. He had to know for sure whether she felt anything for him or not. He'd already wasted quite enough time being irritated with her. He didn't plan to waste anymore simply because he was too coward to let his feelings be known.

Marion chatted with Joan the whole way back to the school, but John stayed curiously quiet during the journey, limiting himself to vague noises in the affirmative or negative depending on what was said. It wasn't until they were back in the school and headed to their separate rooms that he seemed to snap out of his stupor.

"Miss Lewis, I wonder if you might accompany me to my study for a moment," John said as they reached the landing, both women ready to move toward their own quarters. "I have several of those books you wanted to recover, and I'd like to turn them over to you before another thought—or tumble—distracts me from doing so."

"I'm sure you can keep the thought long enough to simply return them to the library in the morning," Marion said, confused.

"I really would like to have this hostage crisis handled immediately," John quipped, arching an eyebrow. "Otherwise, I might feel compelled to hold them for ransom."

"What could you possibly request to receive as ransom?" she asked, unable to stop herself.

"Quite a few things come to mind," he said quietly, his eyes faraway for a moment before he recovered. "That said, would you please set aside your _ridiculously _mulish sensibilities for a moment and simply come get the books?"

"Fine," she huffed. "Joan, I'll see you in the morning."

"Of course," Joan said, looking between them oddly. "Good night, Mister Smith."

"Good night, Nurse Redfern," John said, removing his hat and gesturing Marion to lead on. She paused at his door, and he opened it for her, waiting for her to precede him into the room. She was acutely aware of just how close to him she was as passed, and moved further into the room swiftly, eager for distance. She turned as he closed the door softly.

"So, where are these books that need rescuing?" she asked, glancing around.

"There are no books," he told as he shrugged out of his overcoat, hanging it up beside the door before turning to her. "Well, none that I care to look for at the moment. Would you like to explain what exactly that was?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marion said, looking away.

"I think you do," he said, coming toward her. "Why were you so insistent on pushing me on Nurse Redfern?"

"Joan is an extraordinary woman," she said, moving around the back of the sofa to put it between them.

"Is she?" he asked, watching her carefully as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"And she has a number of admirable qualities," she added, walking along the length of the sofa and glancing furtively at him as he kept pace with her.

"Does she?"

"And I think you should consider asking her to the dance," she said, coming to a halt at the end of the sofa.

"Should I?"

"Yes," she snapped, then drew a calming breath. "Call it friendly advice, since we're friends now."

"Ah…see, there's the problem," he said with a small nod.

"Problem?" she echoed blankly.

"Mmm…because I don't want to be friends with you, Marion," he said, taking a step closer, his eyes dark and slightly predatory.

"You don't?" she asked, trying desperately to maintain some sort of composure.

"Absolutely not," he said with some determination.

She took a deep breath and straightened proudly. "Well, if that's how you feel about—"

She was cut off when he leaned down and pressed his lips firmly to hers, his hand coming up to cup her cheek lightly. She froze for an instant, then melted slowly into his kiss. He broke it gently after what could have been a few seconds, or could have been an eternity.

"No, Marion," he said gently. "I intend to be far more than simply 'friends' with you."

"Oh," she said in a small voice, looking up at him.

"I do believe that I have actually rendered the great Marion Lewis speechless," he said with a smirk.

"Not at all," she said, taking in a breath. "I just—"

And then his lips descended again, and she completely forgot what she "just" was, and decided that she didn't care. Some things were far better than arguing.


	35. Human Nature Part 2

_**Humans being silly, and Martha and the TARDIS! Huzzah!**_

_**Word of warning...classes start for me again tomorrow, so my update schedule may take a rather permanent hit. I promise it won't be too bad...I flatly refuse to go more than two days without an update if there is any possible way to avoid it. But yeah. Life happens and stuff, much as I'd like to avoid it.**_

_**Otherwise, thank you thank you thank you for all the great reviews, for the follows and favorites, and for your patience. Rock stars, every single one of you.**_

**oOoOo**

"Hello," Martha said as she stepped into the TARDIS, and grinned when she heard a happy hum in greeting. "I've missed you, too."

Though she knew she'd never be as close to the ship as the Doctor and Rose, given he was a telepathic Time Lord and she was...whatever she was...the TARDIS had warmed to Martha considerably after she'd become a more permanent fixture, and they'd bonded during their exile...as much as a human girl and a sentient ship on emergency power can. She felt better when she visited the ship, less like travelling had simply been the wonderful dream that the Doctor and Rose now believed it to be.

"I have good news," she said as she walked up the ramp toward the console. "Well, maybe good news. They don't seem to hate each other anymore. Quite the opposite, really, if their cheerful moods this morning were any indication. If the human versions of them can go from hating each other to adoring each other in two months, then surely they'll be able to work out their differences when they come back."

The ship hummed again uncertainly, and Martha was sure that if it could shrug, it would. Then it made a short buzz of annoyance, and Martha grinned again. The TARDIS clearly regarded their break up with some measure of irritation, an irritation that had carried over when John and Marion had made it plain that they loathed each other from the minute they set eyes on one another.

"Well, I suppose we just have to leave it to them," Martha said, trailing her fingers along the console as she paced around it, then stopped. "But I do wonder if I'm going to have to try to keep them from doing something really stupid like eloping. Something tells me the Doctor and Rose wouldn't be thrilled by that."

The TARDIS gave another staccato drone that almost sounded like a chuckle.

"It would serve them right though. Idiots." Martha drummed her fingers on the console for a moment, lost in thought about the feuding couple once again. The TARDIS gave another sharp buzz. "Oh, right," she said, looking up again. "Something happened. There was...something in the sky." The TARDIS made a questioning hum. "Dunno. Some kind of meteorite...or something."

The monitor next to her suddenly flared to life, filled with the face of the Doctor as he recorded his instructional video.

"This working?" he asked, tapping the camera. "Martha, before I change here's a list of instructions for when I'm human. One, don't let me hurt anyone. We can't have that, but you know what humans are like. Two, don't worry about the TARDIS, I'll put it on emergency power so they can't detect it, just let it hide away. Four—no, wait a minute, three. No getting involved in big historical events. Four, you. Don't let me abandon you. And fi-"

"But there was a meteor, a shooting star—what am I supposed to do then?" she asked, twisting a dial and fast-forwarding the video.

"And twenty four. If anything goes wrong, if they find us, Martha, then you know what to do. Open the watch. Everything I am is kept safe in there. Now, I've put perception filters on both so the human me won't think anything of them, to him they're just a pair of watches. Don't open Rose's..." he trailed off, his eyes unfocusing in a way that had worried her from the moment he'd made the recording. She had a bad feeling about the errant thoughts running through his head in that moment. "Just don't. Leave that to me. Just keep her safe. And don't open mine unless you absolutely have to. Because once it's open, then the Family will be able to find me. It's all down to you, Martha. Your choice." He walked off-screen, only to return a second later. "Oh, and- thank you," he added with a smile before the recording stopped completely.

"I wish you'd come back," Martha whispered with a sigh as the screen returned to its normal state. She raised her head, glancing around the console room with burning eyes. "I miss them, old girl...so much."

She sniffled as the TARDIS hummed sadly in agreement. Then the tone changed, first to one of reassurance, then one of slight impatience. She gave a watery laugh.

"Yeah, alright," she said. "I'll get back and check on them. God, the pair of them...dunno what they'd do without us. I reckon they're going to owe us big time when they get back."

The lights around the console blinked as the TARDIS gave another hum, apparently supporting this idea completely, and Martha laughed as she headed back to the school.

oOoOo

John moved buoyantly through his morning classes, invigorated by the events of the previous evening and early morning. He had released Marion back to her own quarters, virtue intact, but not before inviting her to the dance this evening. Her hesitation had again made him unsure for the briefest instant before she smiled brilliantly at him and accepted. It wasn't until after she left that he had realized that the cause of her actions on the way back to school and her hesitation were probably more due to her friendship with Nurse Redfern and her feelings rather than Marion's own lack, and had set out to remedy the situation first thing that morning. He'd approached Conway, the literature professor and the only other single man who didn't seem to cringe at the notion of a woman with ideas of her own, suggesting he invite Nurse Redfern to the dance as a friendly gesture so that both of them could enjoy the event without any ensuing awkwardness. He'd grinned later when he'd heard the maids start whispering about what a lovely pair the two made, and had feigned surprise when Marion had found him to inform him of this new development, a ploy that she saw through immediately.

"Ever the arrogant one," she said with a small sigh. "Must you control everything around you?"

"You love it," he said with a smile.

"I'll admit nothing," she said, turning back for the library.

"Ever the stubborn one," he accused, and chuckled when she threw a grin over her shoulder at him.

She might not have admitted anything, but she hadn't denied it either. He was confident now that not only was he completely in love with Marion Lewis, but that those sentiments were reciprocated strongly. Which was why, now that he had retired to his study during the midmorning break, he was staring at his mother's wedding ring with a mix of hope and trepidation. True, once they'd gotten over their mutual annoyance, things had moved…rather swiftly, but he had no desire to curtail that momentum now. Had they not spent so much time irritating each other, while it would no doubt still be a surprise to be engaged so soon, it would still be widely accepted, so it really wasn't completely beyond the realm of plausibility. That's what he told himself anyway…now he just needed to convince her. Without being able to put into words exactly what it was that made him so sure, he was absolutely certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman.

A knock at the door pulled him from his musings, and he put the ring in his pocket as he moved to the door distractedly. He opened the door to find Timothy Latimer waiting expectantly, and stared at him blankly for a moment.

"You told me to come and collect that book, Sir," Latimer said after an awkward moment.

"Good lad, yes," he said, his mind whirring as he tried to recall exactly what the boy was talking to. It took a moment, but realization finally dawned. "Yes! 'The Definitive Account of Mafeking' by Aitchison-Price, where did I put it?" He turned, moving to the desk as the boy followed him into the study warily. "And I wanted a little word- your marks aren't quite good enough," he added, glancing up at him with an arched brow.

"I'm top ten in my class, Sir," Latimer protested.

"Now, be honest, Timothy," he said. "You should be the very top. You're a clever boy, but you seem to be hiding it. Where is that book..." he muttered, moving off to his personal library annex. "And I know why. Keeping your head low avoids the mockery of your classmates. But no man should hide himself, don't you think?"

As the professor spoke, a strange whispering began to permeate the room, something that apparently escaped Mister Smith's attention but Latimer found increasingly distracting.

"Yes sir..." Latimer said absently, looking around as Mister Smith continued to lecture. For some reason, his attention was drawn to a pair of fob watches resting on the mantelpiece. He stepped toward them in confusion, picking them up carefully as the whispers grew louder but no more comprehensible.

"_Time lord...the time is coming...Time Lord...eternity and infinity...Timothy, hide yourself..._"

"_The secret lies within..." _said a man's voice, one that sounded like Mister Smith. He frowned, popping both open at once and staring as golden light shone from them.

"_The Doctor and the Bad Wolf,_" said a woman's voice. "_Protect us, Timothy, keep us safe."_

"_We're trapped, caged inside the cogs..." _said the voice of the man. "_Kept in the dark but waiting...always right..."_

Mister Smith wandered back into the room, and Timothy snapped both watches shut, pocketing them impulsively.

"Fascinating details about the siege," Mister Smith said. "Really quite remarkable—are you alright?"

"Yes Sir," he said quickly. "Fine, Sir."

"Right then," Mister Smith said, eyeing him. "Good. And remember: use that brain of yours!"

He held out the book, and Timothy moved to take it, but as soon as he touched it, he was overwhelmed with images of Mister Smith as a very different man.

"_Power of a Time Lord_,_" _a voice said, and Timothy saw his teacher in a pinstriped suit, wielding some sort of silver device that glowed blue from the tip, his expression one of intense determination.

"You're really not looking yourself, old chap," Mister Smith was saying as the vision faded, leaving Timothy feeling shaky. "Anything bothering you, or...?"

"No, Sir," he said, still reeling. "Thank you, Sir."

He left quickly, closing the door behind him before moving swiftly down the corridor, only to run headlong into Miss Lewis as he turned a corner.

"Timothy?" the librarian asked, her face concerned as she grasped his arm. "Are you alright?"

"_The Bad Wolf, she who creates herself_," said a voice, and once again, Timothy was transported, seeing Miss Lewis not as the librarian, but as a goddess, golden light surrounding her and streaming from her eyes.

"F-fine," he stammered, pulling away as the vision faded again. "Excuse me."

He hurried away from her, dashing up the steps to the dormitory, thankful that it was empty at this time of day. He sat down on the bed, pulling out the watches and looking at them as he took a few deep breaths to calm himself as the whispers again surrounded him.

"_You are not alone..._" warned the woman's voice.

"_Keep us hidden_..." added the man's.

Timothy hesitated, then popped both watches open again. He gasped as his sight once again clouded, filled with visions of strange and fearsome creatures that were clearly far from human. He snapped the watches closed again and stared at them, wondering who exactly Mister Smith and Miss Lewis really were.

oOoOo

"I really am truly sorry," Marion said as she stepped out onto the grounds with Joan. "It was never my intention—"

"Honestly, Marion, I'm not holding it against you," Joan said, holding up a hand. "He made it quite clear last night that he only had eyes for you, and, if his 'Journal of Impossible Things' is any indication, he's felt that way for some time. I'm not begrudging you anything, and while it's not quite the evening I'd once hoped for, I am looking forward to being escorted to the dance by Mister Conway."

"You're positive?" Marion asked, studying her carefully.

"Absolutely," Joan said with a nod. "But really, you should read that journal before you give it back to him. Such adventures. You see, in his imagination, he's this man called-"

What he was called, however, Marion failed to find out as a staccato burst of gunfire pierced the air. Marion frowned as they looked down into the field at John running field drills with his class. She still hadn't gotten used to this particular practice of the school's, and doubted she'd ever grow fond of it. There was also something exceedingly disturbing about John in particular being the one to run these drills, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why. She glanced at Joan to see a disturbed look on her face as well before she smiled tightly and hurried back inside. Marion felt a pang of sympathy, knowing that seeing boys playing at being soldiers must have been difficult for a woman who'd lost her husband to gunfire. She looked down at the class again, and her eyes narrowed as the headmaster approached them before making her way across the field.

"Excuse me, Headmaster, we could do a lot better," Hutchinson was saying as she made her way within earshot. "Latimer is being deliberately shoddy."

"I'm trying my best," Latimer muttered.

"You need to be better than the best," the Headmaster said. "Those targets are tribesmen from the dark continent."

"That's exactly the problem, sir," Latimer said, turning to him. "They only have spears."

Marion arched an eyebrow and her lips twitched at this show of cheek, agreeing with the boy completely.

"Oh dear me," the Headmaster said. "Latimer takes it upon himself to make us realize how wrong we all are. I hope, Latimer, that one day you may have a just and proper war in which to prove yourself. Now, resume firing."

She jumped as the gunfire started again, and watched Latimer closely. She'd run into the boy earlier, and he'd looked at her as if he'd seen a ghost. Now he simply seemed unhappy and distracted, obviously not at all pleased with this activity. She found herself liking the boy just a bit more.

"There's a stoppage, immediate action," Hutchinson said after a moment when the gun stuttered to a halt. Latimer didn't respond, only continued to stare into space for a moment. "Didn't I tell you, Sir," Hutchinson said impatiently to the Headmaster. "This stupid boy is useless! Permission to give Latimer a beating, Sir?"

"It's your class, Mister Smith," the Headmaster said with a shrug.

"Permission granted," John said with a sigh, and Hutchinson pulled Latimer up by his collar.

"Right, come with me, you little oik," he said nastily just as Marion stepped forward.

"You _can't _be serious," she burst out, and both men spun around to stare at her. "Forcing school children to play soldier is bad enough, but allowing a child to be beaten by his peers? That's just barbaric."

"Commonly referred to as discipline, Miss Lewis," John said, eyeing her.

"That's not discipline," she said, shaking her head. "That's submission. Everything different ground into the dirt, is that the future you're teaching them to fight for?"

"This is not your place, Miss Lewis," he warned, and she glared at him.

"Protecting the welfare of the students is most certainly my place, _Mister_ Smith," she retorted. "Whether it's from their peers or their teachers. You're better than this."

"Miss Lewis, what I choose to allow amongst my students is my affair," he snapped. "When they ask to perform such a beating in the library, then perhaps your opinion will be needed. Until then, I'd advise you to keep a civil tongue."

"I'll hold a civil tongue when what you choose to allow amongst your students doesn't include bodily harm," she said. "The simple fact that you have absolutely no compunction about them requesting to _beat_ their classmate, let alone allowing it, says quite a lot about how much civility is really required around you and your students."

They scowled at each other for another moment, then John made an irritated noise. "Fifteen hundred words on the importance of _discipline_ in a structured society, Latimer," he ordered. "To be on my desk first thing in the morning."

"But Mister Smith—" Hutchinson said, looking as if his sweet had been stolen.

"That's my final word on the matter," John said definitively, and Hutchinson released Latimer with a scowl, shoving the boy a little. Latimer looked between the two angry adults before hurrying off to do his report. It was only then that Marion made any effort to recover the situation.

"Mister Smith—"

"We're done here," he said shortly, spinning back to the class and barking orders at them. Marion stared at him for a moment, seething, before turning away and stalking back to the school.


	36. Human Nature Part 3

_**Yay, last part of Human Nature! And, holy cats, over 800 reviews! Thank you so much! The reviews, the PMs, the fanart, the insane amount of follows and favorites...honestly, I cannot express how grateful I am for all the positive feedback, and even those moments of constructive criticism that have led to some extremely interesting conversations. Seriously, you guys make my day. I know I probably sound really redundant, but you guys never fail to completely bowl me over with the sheer volume of your response. So thank you.**_

_**With that slightly gushing Author's Note...allons-y!**_

* * *

John paced his study unhappily, the latest argument with Marion running through his mind. She had once again taken it into her head to be as obstinate and contrary as possible, infuriating him beyond measure, and in front of his superior, no less. She had absolutely no right to call him to task in front of his students or his Headmaster, and he couldn't simply let her actions stand. He pushed away the nagging feeling that she'd had a point, focusing on the total lack of respect she'd shown for him and his position. Apparently, what they'd shared had not diminished her absolutely exasperating level of tenacity regarding her opinions.

He pulled the ring out of his pocket and stared at it moodily. He'd been altogether too hasty in his pursuit of Miss Lewis. It had been days, maybe a week, since he'd even begun to believe—or, at the very least, admit—that he wanted anything to do with her. This morning had shown quite efficiently how incredibly ludicrous it was to believe that anything would work between them long term.

He toyed with the ring as he remembered the smile she'd given him when she had accepted his invitation to the dance, the way her eyes had lit up as she watched him point out the constellations, the faint blush that had crept to her cheeks when he kissed her. The thought that she'd had a valid point about the whole affair worked its way back into his mind, and while he still believe wholeheartedly that she had handled the situation in the worst way possible…if she had let her feelings for him dampen her spirit at all, then she would lose something essential to her being, and would no longer be the woman he'd fallen so completely in love with. Because, he realized, regardless of rationale or hastiness or disagreements…he was still determined to make her his wife.

His eyes narrowed when he glanced out the window to see Marion walking off the grounds toward town. Brooding would get him nowhere, he realized, and he dropped the ring back into his pocket, barely pausing to grab his coat and hat as he hurried to the door. Getting angry was one thing. Staying angry, however, was something he simply would not allow any longer.

oOoOo

"Miss Lewis!" John called, and Marion grimaced. Arguments and surnames. Apparently they'd reverted just a bit. She wasn't wholly prepared yet to deal with the ramifications of this, so she decided to go with an artful and quite mature plan of feigning temporary deafness. John, however, completely refused to accept this, touching her arm gently as he caught up with her. "Miss Lewis," he repeated.

"Yes, Mister Smith?" she asked cooly.

"You're angry," he noted.

"You were going to allow a boy to beaten by his classmates," Marion said, stopping to stare at him.

"And you completely humiliated me in front of my superior and undermined my authority with my students," he said with a frown.

"I really don't think you needed any help with that," she said, turning and moving away again.

"And yet you saw fit to give whatever aid you could," he said in an accusing tone as he followed after her.

"I'd go to much farther lengths than simply questioning your _authority_ if it meant keeping that boy from bodily harm," she said. "Your ego, on the other hand, could withstand a few blows."

"And your opinions could do well to learn that there's a time and a place," he retorted. He stopped, making a frustrated sound and running a hand over his face. "Marion, stop."

"I didn't realize we were still on a first name basis," she said, arching an eyebrow, but stopped and turned to him.

"My feelings for you don't vanish just because you manage to annoy me," he said, arching an eyebrow of his own. "Otherwise I'd never have gotten over my irritation in the first place. Am I alone in that?" She stayed silent, avoiding his gaze, but he nodded. "I didn't think so. But Marion, you cannot put me in that position in front of the Headmaster or my students. God knows I'll never be able to stop you from pummeling my ego with your opinions in private, but you put me in a terrible situation. Even you _must_ see that."

"If I hadn't stepped in—" she started stubbornly, but he cut her off quickly.

"Then Timothy would have suffered," he said gently. "I understand your reasoning. I just don't agree with the way you handled it. There were any number of ways that you could have made your point known without endangering my standing with those present, not the least of which was to simply tell the boys to wait and then ask to speak to me privately."

She watched him for a moment, stubborn pride warring with the rationality of his argument. "I'm sorry I put you in an uncomfortable spot, John," she said finally, managing to sound only slightly begrudging.

"And I'm truly sorry that I disappointed you, Marion," he said softly. "You were right to step in."

"Did you just say I was right about something?" she asked, a small smile coming to her lips.

"It's not completely unheard of," he said, his own lips twitching in response.

Marion sighed and turned as they both began walking again. "Do you think we'll ever stop vexing each other?"

"Absolutely not," he said. "How uninteresting life would be if we suddenly became agreeable individuals." He smiled when she laughed, then sobered, studying her profile. "You don't approve of military discipline of this school, do you?" he asked as they wandered through the town.

"I don't," she admitted. "I think the world would be much better off if more men were taught to use their minds and words to solve problems rather than chaos and bloodshed."

"I'll admit mankind doesn't need warfare and bloodshed to prove itself," he said slowly. "Everyday life can provide honor and valor. But Great Britain's at peace, long may it reign. Let's hope that from now on this, this country can... can find its heroes in smaller places..." She looked at him curiously when he trailed off, looking distracted. "In the most...ordinary of...of deeds..."

He turned suddenly, snatching a cricket ball from a young boy and pitching it with startling force and accuracy at a bundle of scaffolding poles resting against a building. They fell, hitting a plank of wood and sending a brick lying on the end flying into the air over a piano hung by a quickly fraying rope. The brick collided with a milk churn, making it fall into the path of a woman pushing a pram, halting her progress...just before the piano fell exactly where she would have been standing had her progress not been impeded. Marion's jaw dropped, and she turned to stare at John, who was looking at the scene with his own measure of stunned amazement as the baby in the pram started crying.

"Lucky..." he said after a moment, watching in bemusement as two workers hurried over to the woman.

"That was luck?" Marion asked in disbelief, looking back at the scene.

"Marion, I'm in love with you," John said suddenly, turning to her. Her head whipped around to stare at him. "Marry me."

"What?" she asked, shocked.

"Marry me," he said again, annunciating the words slowly.

Marion stared at him, completely at a loss. He'd just saved the lives of a woman and her infant with a cricket ball, and now appeared to be proposing as if it was the same as asking her to lunch. "You extraordinary man," she said, dazed.

"Careful, Miss Lewis," he cautioned with a smirk. "You are dangerously close to inflating my already sizeable ego."

"Can't have that," she murmured.

"You also haven't answered me," he reminded her, stepping closer.

"You can't be serious," she said.

"Oh, I assure you, I'm quite serious," he said, dark eyes intense as he lifted a hand to grasp her jaw tenderly. "Marion Lewis, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

_Of course not_, she thought quickly. _We've known each other all of two months, and a majority of that time was spent absolutely detesting each other's very existence. We only barely managed to salvage a friendship a few days ago, it would be complete madness to agree to marry you now._

But even while all these sensible thoughts flew through her mind, some deeper part of her rebelled, somehow completely sure of him regardless of any clear rationality.

"Yes," she said softly, and his face split into a brilliant grin just before his lips swooped down to capture hers, completely ignoring the presence of anyone else.

oOoOo

"You're completely mad," Marion said as they wandered slowly along the lane in the direction of the school. "You are aware of that, right?"

"I'm aware of the possibility, yes," John said with a smile. "Perhaps my imaginary adventurer and I have something in common after all."

"The one with the roving eye?" she asked with a smirk. "And a girl in every fireplace?"

"Did Nurse Redfern tell you that?" he asked, and she paused, momentarily confused.

"She must have," she said vaguely.

"Mmm...well, I can assure you, that is not me," he said.

"Says the man who just proposed after spending the better part of two months hating me," she said with an arched brow.

John was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. "That scarecrow's all askew," he noted suddenly, apropos to nothing.

"And we certainly can't have that," Marion said with a laugh as he made his way toward the offending object.

"Of course not," he said, focused for a moment on his task. "I never hated you," he said quietly after a moment, still looking at the scarecrow. "I just had no idea what to make of you. Once I gave up _that_ effort, it wasn't such a stretch to fall in love with you." He looked up at her, dark eyes shining with warmth and sincerity, as well as a touch of vulnerability that melted her heart.

"Say it again," she said, her eyes wide, and his face softened.

"I love you, Marion Lewis."

He chuckled when she beamed at him. "I love you, John Smith," she replied after a moment.

"Quite right, too," he said with a smirk, then stepped back from the scarecrow examining it critically. "I think my work here is done."

"A masterpiece," she agreed with a smile.

He grinned down at her as he took her hand, pulling her back to the lane. "Come on. I have something to show you."

They made their way back to the school, and John led Marion to his study, taking her coat and hanging it up with his before moving to the windows and closing the curtains.

"John…what are you doing?" she asked uncertainly.

"Worried?" he asked, throwing a wicked grin over his shoulder at her.

"Should I be?" she asked.

"No," he assured her. "I promise you, your honor is in no danger from me. But I would ask that you close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it," he said with an exasperated sigh. She gave a small laugh and shook her head a little before doing as he asked. She heard him move around the room, doing something at his desk before he came closer to stand behind her. "Open," he said softly near her ear.

She opened her eyes and gasped at the sight of what seemed to be a whole galaxy of stars dotting the fabric of his curtains.

"Magic lantern," John said as she glanced down at the box on his desk. "Uses the light of a kerosene lamp to project the image from a glass plate onto a surface. And this," he continued, gesturing to the image currently shown against his curtains, "is from a hand painted glass slide based on a daguerreotype of the northern night sky."

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

"Mmm," he said, nodding, before looking down at her. "Nearly as beautiful as...as my fiancé." She looked up at him with a smile. "Oh, that reminds me," he added, his hand fumbling in his pocket for a moment. "This is for you."

He took her hand and slipped a simple silver band adorned with three small sapphires onto her ring finger. His thumb brushed lightly over the back of her hand before he brought it up to kiss her ring finger lightly. His other hand came up to caress her cheek before he leaned down to kiss her tenderly, dropping her hand as he reached around her to touch the small of her back and pulled her closer. He sprang away, however, when the door rattled and Martha burst in.

"Martha, what have I told you about entering unannounced?" John snapped in irritation at the maid, who scurried out again after a shocked look. "I'm sorry," he said quickly to Marion.

"It's alright," she replied. "I should really be going anyway. I have a dance to get ready for after all."

"Yes...suppose I do too," he said reluctantly, and she laughed before leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Oh, I'll bring your 'Journal of Impossible Things' as well," she said. "Joan—Nurse Redfern left it with me."

"Did you read it?" he asked curiously.

"No," she said. "You're quite impossible enough without trying to understand your dreams as well."

She grinned as the sound of his laughter followed her down the hall.

oOoOo

"She was wearing a ring," Martha said, pacing the console room. "They were kissing and she was wearing a ring. Where'd he even _get_ a ring?" The TARDIS hummed uncertainly at her. "The Doctor's going go completely _spare_ if they get married! What am I supposed to do?" Again, the monitor flashed to life next to her. "This wasn't on the list!"

The ship apparently ignored this, as the recording began to fast-forward on its own.

"Four, you," the recording said. "Don't let me abandon you."

"That's no good. What about the stuff you didn't tell me, what about bloody _marriage_?" she snapped at the recording. "Oh no, you didn't think of that. What in hell am I supposed to do then?"

"Five," the recording said, then paused as his eyes flicked away, a look of pain crossing his face. "Five, don't let me hurt her. It wouldn't be the first time, but don't let it happen again. We can't...you know why we're...but listen, if it's not her, it can't be anyone. Don't let me go chasing after someone else just because I don't remember her."

Martha rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. "Alright, so at least it's not someone else. But he's still not going to be happy."

"And six, don't let me eat a pear," the recording went on forcefully. "I _hate_ pears—"

"I hope you have a pear flavored wedding cake," Martha said viciously, and heard the staccato buzz that always made her think of a chuckle. She sighed heavily. "I suppose we'll just have to hope it takes more than a month to plan the wedding, eh?" The ship hummed encouragingly at her. "Seriously, though...this is going on the list. They're going to owe me so huge when they come back."

Martha made her way back to the school, feeling marginally better after her talk with the TARDIS, but still moving on automatic through the afternoon as she stewed about her friends. If it had been a simple case of commitment-phobia, then she might actually think this turn of events was a good thing. But it was never that simple with the Doctor. He was genuinely terrified of losing Rose one day to her own bitterness, of her leaving him because of regrets and resentments that she didn't have but he still tortured himself over. She had a feeling that if they came back after the human him had managed to marry Rose and make her happy, her friend would spin a little more out of control, and given what she'd seen him do when he was _in_ control, she really didn't want to think of what he'd manage if he lost it.

The one bright spot of the afternoon came when Cook let her take Mister Poole's unwanted tea, which was always...lavish, enough so that she could share it with Jenny. It'd be a treat for both of them, and she was looking forward to a conversation with a friend who had all her memories and could actually talk.

"There you are!" Martha said when Jenny finally entered the room. "Come and look what I've got. Mr Poole didn't want his afternoon tea so cook said I could have it. And there's enough for two." She looked up from setting up the tray to see Jenny still standing in the doorway with her coat on. "What are you standing there for? Are you alright?" she added in concern when Jenny sniffed loudly.

"I must have a cold coming on," Jenny said as she moved to sit at the small table with Martha, coat and hat still on.

"Problem is," Martha said with a sigh, "I keep thinking about them but I don't know what to do."

"Thinking about who?" Jenny asked.

"Mister Smith and Miss Lewis," she said. "They're engaged now, _apparently_, but I don't know if they'll still be happy about that when we leave in a month."

"Why are you leaving?" Jenny asked.

"It's like…their contracts are coming to an end," she said vaguely. "And being together after that...I dunno, it might be…difficult."

"Leave for where?" the other maid asked curiously.

"All sorts of places," Martha said, unable to keep the longing from her voice as she thought about some of the different places she'd already been with the Doctor and Rose. "I wish I could tell you Jenny, but it's complicated."

"In what way?" Jenny asked.

"I just can't," Martha said, shaking her head.

"It sounds so interesting," Jenny said sharply, her voice taking on an odd inflection that Martha hadn't noticed until now. "Tell me. Tell me now."

"Would you like some tea?" Martha asked slowly, frowning.

"Yes thanks," Jenny said with a smile pasted on her face that didn't reach her eyes, which continued to look cold.

"I could put a nice bit of gravy in the pot," Martha suggested, watching her friend carefully with growing dread. "And some mutton. Or sardines and jam, how about that?"

"I like the sound of that," Jenny said.

"Right," she said calmly, clamping down on her growing panic. "Hold on a tick."

She got up slowly and stepped out of the room, limiting herself to a walking pace in the corridor so as not to alert whatever had taken over Jenny before tearing off down the stairs. She kept running until she was out of the school, ducking when all too familiar green laser fire shot out at her from the window. She had to find the Doctor, now. As much as she hated to do it to John and Marion, it was time to open the watches.

oOoOo

"You look…stunning," John said as Marion twirled for him in her navy dress before setting his journal on his desk.

"You look rather dashing yourself," she said, stepping closer to straighten his bow tie. "You'd best give me some warning—um, can you actually dance?"

"Um…I'm not certain…" he said, his eyes unfocusing slightly as he brought his hands up to her waist.

"The great John Smith, unsure of something?" she teased with a smile.

"Oh, Miss Lewis," he sighed, looking down at her. "You've created a great number of uncertainties for me. There is one thing I'm absolutely sure of, however."

"Is there?" she asked, her breath hitching slightly as his gaze became heated.

"Oh yes," he said softly before leaning down to kiss her. Once again, however, he sprang away when Martha burst into the door.

"They've found us," she said quickly before either of them had a chance to speak.

"Martha, I've warned you," he growled in frustration.

"They've found us," Martha said again, ignoring him, obviously frightened. "And I've seen them—they look like people, like us, like normal. I'm sorry, but you've got to open the watch." She moved quickly to the mantelpiece, searching it. "Where are they?" she asked, shuffling through knick knacks. "Oh my god, where've they gone? Where are the watches?"

"What are you talking about?" John demanded impatiently.

"You had two watches," she said, pointing to the mantelpiece. "Two fob watches, gold and silver. Right there!"

"Did I?" John asked, confused. "I don't remember."

"Martha, what is this about?" Marion asked, concerned for the obviously panicking maid.

"We need them," she moaned. "Oh my god…Doctor we're hiding from aliens, and they've got Jenny and they've…possessed her or copied her or something and you've got to tell me, where are the watches?"

"Oh I see..." he said softly. "Cultural differences," he added aside to Marion, who stared at Martha in complete shock as John picked up the journal and tried to explain that they were stories.

_Doctor_. The man who looked like John Smith...but was so much more...but they were just dreams. The man didn't actually exist.

"Oh you complete...THIS is not you," Martha was saying, waving at John impatiently. "THIS is nineteen thirteen."

"Good," John said encouragingly, if a bit patronizingly. "This _is_ nineteen thirteen."

"I've sorry," Martha said, eyeing him. "I'm really sorry but I've got to snap you out of this."

With that, she brought her hand back and slapped John hard across the face, making him reel back and springing Marion out of her confused stupor for a moment.

"Martha!" she cried, reaching for John.

"Wake up!" the maid shouted. "You're coming back to the TARDIS with me!"

"How dare you!" John yelled, pulling his hands back as she grabbed at them and tried to pull him away, grasping her arm instead and pulling her to the door. "I'm not going anywhere with an insane servant! Martha, you are dismissed, you will leave these premises immediately. Now get out!" He pushed her out of the door none too gently, slamming it behind her before turning back to Marion. "Nerve of it, absolute cheek! Marion?"

She was watching him with wide eyes, still trying to sort through her confusion. The maid had called him the Doctor. His stories, his journal, was about the Doctor, but he was just a dream. _Her_ dream. How could he possibly have known?

"Marion, darling," John said softly, stepping closer and bringing a hand up to her cheek as he looked down at her, eyes full of concern. "I'm sorry she's upset you. She's obviously confused, delusional...it's just a story."

"I…" She trailed off, looking up at him. Of course it was just a story. Just because they'd both invented someone called the Doctor didn't mean at all that he was the same person. Obviously just a quirk of imagination. That was the only logical explanation. "Let's…let's just go," she said softly, pushing away the confusion and smiling up at him. "We have a dance to go to."

John looked down at her for another moment, searching her face, then nodded. "Right you are, Miss Lewis," he said, pulling on his coat before helping her with her wrap. "Let's put all thoughts of insane servants and imaginary men out of our minds and enjoy the evening."

oOoOo

Martha raced out of the school, barely pausing when she nearly knocked over Tim Latimer, and ran to the TARDIS. The watches were gone, he'd _told_ her to leave them both with him, that he'd think nothing of them, and now they were gone and the Family was here and she was completely at a loss for how to snap either of them out of it. As soon as she stepped into the TARDIS, however, she noticed the Doctor's coat on the coral strut he'd thrown it onto when they'd first dove into the ship on that blue planet. She searched through the impossibly large pockets until her questing fingers wrapped around a familiar shape, smiling triumphantly when she pulled out the sonic screwdriver. If there was one thing the Doctor was attached to besides the ship and Rose, it was this. If she couldn't get Marion to listen, to help her, then maybe this would do it.

She ran back through the village, heading for the dance. She thought quickly as she made her way to the village hall, trying to work out exactly how she was going to get John to listen to her this time while he was still furious over what had happened at the school. Ignoring the doorman trying to direct her to the servants entrance, she made her way inside and scanned the group, relieved when she saw Marion sitting alone and John waiting in a line. Maybe if she could get to Marion alone, she'd help reason with John.

"What is it you want, Martha?" Marion asked, eyeing her warily as she sat down.

"Your help," Martha said. "Because you're the only one who can. You've seen him, haven't you? In your dreams? The man who looks like John Smith, but isn't. You've seen the Doctor."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marion said, looking away quickly.

"Yes, you do," she said. The Doctor would be furious if anyone found out who Marion was before he came back, but she was quickly running out of options. "You know all the stories in that journal of his. Because they're your stories too. The Doctor and Rose Tyler, in the TARDIS. The Time Lord and the Bad Wolf, the only ones in the whole universe. Please, Miss Lewis. Tell him. If there's anyone he'll believe, it's you."

"They're just stories," Marion whispered.

"Legends," Martha said. "And they're you."

"Oh, now really, Martha," John said as he returned to the table looking incredibly displeased. "This is getting out of hand. I must insist that you leave."

"Miss Lewis?" Martha asked, looking at the librarian hopefully, but John cut her off.

"Leave her out of this," he said quickly. "I am not about to let you suck my fiancé into your delusions."

"I'm sorry for this," Martha said, looking between them as she stood up and took out the sonic screwdriver. "Do you know what this is?" she asked, holding it up for him to see. "Name it. Go on, name it."

"John?" Marion asked, her eyes flitting from one to the other as he slowly took the sonic from Martha and turned it over in his hands.

"You're not John Smith," Martha said. "You're called the Doctor. The man in your journal, he's real. He's you."

She stared up at him for a moment, willing him to believe her and understand, but whirled around when there was a crash behind her.

"There will be silence!" thundered a man she recognized from the village, Mister Clarke. She highly doubted, as Jenny and the student, Baines, followed him in, that it was Mister Clarke any longer. "All of you! I said silence!"

"Mister Clarke!" a man said. "What's going on?"

Mister Clarke turned and fired a gun at the man, vaporizing him instantly.

"Mister Smith," Martha said urgently, snatching the sonic screwdriver back. "Everything I told you, just forget it! Don't say anything."

"We asked for silence!" shouted Baines as Martha bowed her head, hiding away the sonic screwdriver. "Now then. We have a few questions for Mister Smith."

"No, better than that," a little girl said as she joined Baines and Mister Clarke. "The teacher," she said. "He's the Doctor. And the librarian is the Bad Wolf. I heard them talking."

"You took human form," Baines said.

"Of course I'm human, I was born human!" John said in confusion. "As were you, Baines. And Jenny, and you, Mister Clarke! What is going on, this is madness!"

"And human brains, too! Simple, thick and dull," Baines said.

"They're no good to us like this," Jenny said.

"Easily remedied," Baines said, raising his gun and aiming it at John. "Change back."

"I don't know what you're talking about," John said desperately, but moving slightly to put himself between Baines and Marion.

"Change back!" Baines repeated.

"I literally do not know—"

Jenny—or whatever was possessing Jenny—struck out, grabbing Martha while her attention was focused on John, pressing the gun to her head.

Martha screamed in startled fear and anger, "GET OFF ME!" She closed her eyes, trying to stay calm as her hands tried to keep Jenny from tightening her arm where it was already a near choke-hold.

Jenny shot a psychotic, calculating look at John, "She's your friend, isn't she? Doesn't _this_ scare you enough to change back?"

John was frantic, "I don't know what you mean!" There was a hint of desperate pleading to his words.

"Husband of Mine," Jenny said, not looking away from John. "The Bad Wolf is no use human, and the Time Lord is so much more…desirable. Perhaps the maid isn't a strong enough bargaining chip," she added, nodding at Marion.

Mr. Clark reached out and grabbed Marion's arm in an iron grip, "Let's have you!" He pulled her close, raising a gun to her head. Marion's expression was stony, and while John still looked terrified, Martha recognized the dangerous glint that had entered his eye.

"Have you enjoyed it, Doctor?" Baines taunted, his speech oddly clipped and stilted. "Being human? Has it taught you wonderful things, are you better, richer, wiser? Then let's see you answer this. Which one of them do you want us to kill? Maid or librarian? The Bad Wolf, or the guardian? Your friend…or your lover? Your choice."


	37. Family of Blood Part 1

_**Yay, Family of Blood! Moving ever closer to the conclusion of the episodes that have had me tearing my freaking hair out. I don't know why. Probably the distraction of bouncing plot bunnies for future chapters. Anyway, here's this. Happiness is a new chapter, or whatever. Thank you, as always, to my faithful reviewers and followers, not least of all for your patience with the new update schedule. :D**_

* * *

"Make you decision, Mister Smith," Jenny hissed.

"Let them go," John said angrily, his gaze flicking between Marion and Martha.

"Oh, that does seem to have gotten a rise out of him," Baines said with glee. "Perhaps if that human heart breaks, the Time Lord will emerge."

"Time Lord..." a voice said. Every head snapped up, and Martha seized the opportunity to reverse Jenny's hold on her, facing the others with the gun now pointed at what used to be her friend.

"One more move and I shoot," she said, making an effort to keep her voice steady.

"Oh, the maid is full of fire!" Baines said.

"And you can shut the hell up!" she said, firing the gun at the ceiling.

"Careful, Son of Mine," Mister Clarke said. "This is all for you so that you can live forever."

"Shoot you down!" Baines shouted at her.

"Try it," she retorted. "We'll die together."

"Would you really pull the trigger?" Baines mused. "Looks too scared."

"Scared and holding a gun," she replied. "It's a good combination. You wanna risk it?" Baines glanced at John, who was glaring at Mister Clarke murderously, and lowered his gun. John lunged forward, taking hold of Marion and pulling her away from the group and pushing her behind him. "Doctor, Rose, get everyone out," Martha said. "There's a door at the side. It's over there. Go on!" John continued to scowl at Baines, and she made an irritated noise. "Do it, Mister Smith. I mean you!"

"Come on," Marion said, touching his arm before turning to the room and ushering everyone out. He joined her after a moment, along with Mister Conway and Nurse Redfern.

"And you," Martha said as the last of the attendees left the room. "Go on. Just shift."

"What about you?" he asked, glancing at the Family again.

"Mister Smith, I think you should escort your lady friend to safety, don't you?" she asked, her eyes still trained on Baines.

He hesitated for another moment, then hurried out the door to direct the group to safety.

"Mister Hicks, go to the village," he said as he made his way to where Marion was waiting for him. "Get everyone out. Latimer, get back to the school. Tell the headmaster—"

"Don't touch me!" Latimer said, pushing him forcefully away as he stopped in shock. "You're as bad as them!"

"John, how do they know about the Doctor?" Nurse Redfern asked as the boy ran off.

"I don't know," he said quickly, shaking his head. "They're all obviously mad." He glanced at Conway, who was watching him thoughtfully. "What?"

"Nothing," the literature professor said, shaking his head. "I would quite like to see this madness-inducing journal of yours one day, however."

"Yes, well, how about we try to survive the night, and then we can all form a book club," he snapped, his voice suddenly taking on a strange inflection that startled all of them. He shook himself. "Regardless of why they believe as they do, they're obviously violent and not suffering from any great attack of conscience. We need to—"

"Don't just stand there, move!" Martha shouted as she ran from the building. "God, you're rubbish as humans! Come on!"

She ran off, and John glanced at the other three before taking Marion's hand and racing after her, the other couple following quickly. They tore through the country lanes to the school, John and Conway hurrying to close and bar the heavy wooden doors as they rushed into the entrance hall. John then immediately went for a large bell, ringing it loudly.

"What're you doing?" Martha asked, skidding to a halt.

"Maybe one man can't fight them, but this school teaches us to stand together," he said. "Take arms! Take arms!"

"You can't do that!" she shouted.

"You want me to fight, don't you?" he demanded hotly. "Take arms! Take arms!"

The maid stared at him for a moment before rushing up the stairs, muttering again about watches and followed closely by Nurse Redfern.

"I say sir, what's the matter?" Hutchinson asked as he came down the stairs with other boys.

"Enemy at the door, Hutchinson," Conway said, directing the boys to the armory. "Enemy at the door. Take arms!"

"She's right, John," Marion said. "You can't let them do this." He continued ringing the bell, ignoring her completely. "John!" she cried, grabbing his arm.

"This school teaches us to stand together," he repeated stubbornly.

"You're right, you're not the Doctor," she said angrily as she dropped his arm. "He'd never dream of hiding behind an army of schoolchildren against madmen and scarecrows, sending them off to be slaughtered in his name."

He froze, staring at her. The way she said it with such certainty unnerved him for some reason, as did the way her voice changed slightly as she shouted at him. For just a moment, he saw someone else in her glare, someone from his dreams.

"The Doctor isn't real," he said hoarsely, unsure for a moment who he was trying to convince more.

"But those guns are," she said, jabbing a finger towards the door. "Those people won't hesitate to shoot these boys down. King and country is bad enough...don't let them die for you alone."

He swallowed hard and exchanged a glance with Conway, who shrugged, suddenly looking unsure himself.

"With those soldiers of theirs, they outnumber us," he said. "And those guns aren't like any I've ever seen. They could take out several of us before we even got a shot off."

He looked down into Marion's large, pleading eyes for a moment before making an irritated noise. "Conway, go find Martha and the Matron. Miss Lewis and I will organize an evacuation." Conway nodded, hurrying up the stairs.

"Thank you, John," Marion said quietly. He nodded once and moved into the armory, calling for attention.

"There's been a change of tactics," he called loudly as the boys stopped in their preparations to look up at him. "It seems the enemy has outmaneuvered us, calling for a strategic retreat."

"What in thunder's name is this?" the Headmaster demanded as he hurried into the armory. "Before I devise an excellent and endless series of punishments for each and every one of you, could someone explain very simply and immediately exactly what is going on?"

"Headmaster, I have to report the school is under attack from enemies we cannot hope to fight," John said. "I'm advising evacuation and retreat."

"Really?" the Headmaster asked, clearly doubting this. "Is that so? Perhaps you and I should have a word in private."

"I promise you, sir," he said. "I was in the village with Miss Lewis. It's Baines, sir. Jeremy Baines and Mister Clark from Oakham Farm. They've gone mad, sir. They've got guns, and are leading...some sort of army. They've already murdered people in the village. I saw it happen."

"Miss Lewis?" the Headmaster asked, shifting his gaze to her reluctantly.

"I'm afraid it's true, sir," she said.

"Murder on our own soil?" he asked.

"I saw it, yes."

"What makes you thing the danger's coming here?" he asked, turning back to John.

"Well, sir, they said, um..." John trailed off uncertainly.

"They were looking for Mister Smith," Marion said, and he shot her a grateful look. "They said they'd follow him. We're...we're not sure why."

"Very well," he said. "But we'll not retreat. A schoolboy and a farmer will not turn us to cowards. You boys, remain on guard. Mister Snell, telephone the police. Mister Philips, with me. We shall investigate."

"Headmaster, I really should advise—"

"Your advice has been noted," the Headmaster said. "But these are cadets, they are trained to defend the King and all his properties."

Marion opened her mouth to argue, but John shook his head at her with a warning look as the Headmaster left with Mister Philips. He hurried over to a window after a moment, turning slightly as she joined him, watching the exchange between the Headmaster and Baines, holding her back against his chest as the madness escalated before their eyes.

oOoOo

"I know it sounds mad," Martha said as she searched John's study. "But when the Doctor became human, he took the alien part of himself and stored it inside the watch. It's not really a watch, it just looks like a watch."

"And alien means...not from abroad, I take it," Nurse Redfern said slowly.

"The man you call John Smith...he was born on another world," Martha said slowly.

"A different species," she said.

"Yeah," Martha said, going back to her search.

"And Miss Lewis?" Mister Conway asked as he entered the room. "Or, rather, Rose Tyler, I suppose. Is she...alien as well?"

"You are well informed," Martha said, glancing between them briefly. "No, she's...well...she's sort of...her own thing. Mostly human, they've said, but I'm not sure I believe the mostly part anymore. Maybe not alien, but definitely unique."

"And what is she to this Doctor?" Conway asked.

Martha paused, a flash of pain at the sudden memory of the more recent feuding and bitterness between them. But that didn't change what Rose Tyler was to the Doctor. That she was absolutely sure of.

"He says she's his everything," she said quietly. "The one thing in the whole universe that he believes in."

"Tell me," Nurse Redfern said after a moment. "In this fairy tale...who are you?"

"I'm just their friend," she said, shrugging. "I travel with them."

"You're human I take it?" Nurse Redfern asked.

"Human, don't worry," she said. "And more than that, I don't just follow them around. I'm training to be a doctor—not an alien doctor—a proper doctor, a doctor of medicine."

"Well that certainly is nonsense," Nurse Redfern said. "Women might train to be doctors, but hardly a skivvy and hardly one of your color."

"Oh, d'you think?" she snapped. She paused, then turned to face her and held up her hand and pointed. "Bones of the hand. Carpal bones, proximal row; scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform. Distal row; trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate. Then the metecarpal bones extending in three distinct phalanges; proximal, middle, distal."

"You read that in a book," the Matron said.

"Yes, to pass my exams," she said with a laugh. "Can't you see this is true?"

"If we find this watch," Conway said thoughtfully as Nurse Redfern turned to look at him. "Then we can stop this? Baines and Clarke coming here, with that strange army of theirs?"

"You believe all this?" Nurse Redfern asked as Martha nodded vigorously.

"It would explain quite a lot of things, Joan," he said slowly, picking up the journal on John's desk. "Not the least of which is this journal you told me so much about. You must admit that."

"Joan, Mister Conway," Marion said breathlessly, hurrying into the room. "The Headmaster wouldn't listen. Mister Philips is dead...Baines shot him...and the boys are going to fight. They...they'll need your help."

"Of course," Conway said with another glance at Martha before touching Nurse Redfern's arm lightly to urge her out.

"Marion, you said you grew up in Manchester, isn't that right?" Joan asked thoughtfully as they hurried down the stairs again.

"Yes, that's right," Marion said with a confused look.

"Tell me about it," Joan urged.

"Um...well, it's on a land area bordered to the north and east by the Pennines," Marion said a little absently. "And to the south by the Cheshire Plains. The city center is on the River Irwell—"

"You sound like an encyclopedia, Miss Lewis," Conway noted. "What did you do there?"

"The city has a rich cosmopolitan atmosphere that's contributed to a vibrant culture," she said in the same slightly vacant, automatic tone.

"That's just more facts," Joan said, frowning. "Where did you grow up? Where did you play? Who were your friends?"

"I...why're you asking this?" Marion asked sharply, glancing between them. "It's because of that journal, isn't it? You think I'm Rose Tyler. The...the Bad Wolf."

"I think…" Conway said, then sighed. "There are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in my philosophy."

"Bloody Shakespeare," Marion muttered darkly as they reached the entrance hall.

"You're with Armitage and Thwaites," John was saying as they approached. "They know the drill." He caught sight of them and hurried over. "Marion, it's not safe."

"I'm going to help Joan," she said quickly as he pulled her to the side. "Quite the evening we've had."

"Not quite as I'd planned," he said, glancing around. Marion looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"John, tell me about Nottingham," she said.

"Sorry?" he asked, confused.

"That's where you grew up, right?" she asked. "Tell me about it."

"Well, it lies on the River Leen," he said vaguely. "Its southern boundary following the course of the River Trent which flows from Stoke to the Humber." She stared at him, her mouth dropping open slightly. "Marion, what is it? Why the sudden interest in my boyhood home, and why _now_?"

"It sounds like an encyclopedia," she said slowly. "John, does it concern you that you don't have any real history, no ties, no knowledge that couldn't be learned from a book?"

He backed up a step, looking stricken. "You believe it," he said, staring at her. "How can you think that I'm not real? When I kissed you, was that a lie?"

"No, it wasn't," she said quickly. "No."

"But this Doctor sounds like some...some romantic lost prince," he said. "Would you rather that? Am I not enough?"

"No, that's not it either," she said quickly, putting a hand on his chest. "But John—"

"I've got to go," he said quickly, turning away from her.

"Please don't let them do this," she said. "It doesn't matter who you are, you know this is wrong. Please."

He hesitated, but then the Headmaster was calling for him.

"I tried, Marion," he said. "You know I did. What choice do I have now?" He looked at her for another moment, torn, then leaned in and kissed her before spinning around and hurrying away.

oOoOo

"Get those bags piled up, filth," Hutchinson ordered. "Gonna mean the difference between life and death for us."

"Not for you and me," Timothy said distractedly.

"What are you babbling about?" Hutchinson demanded, pausing in his efforts.

"We're going to battle together," Timothy said, his mind once again going through the strange vision of mud and wires, madness and bloodshed, Hutchinson on his arm and a watch in his hand. "We fight alongside. I've seen it. Not here, not now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the other boy asked, confused.

"It means you and I both survive this," he said with assurance. "And maybe..." He paused, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a watch, the silver one that had been in his vision. "Maybe I was given this watch so I could help. I'm sorry."

"Latimer, you filthy coward!" Hutchinson yelled after him as he scrambled to his feet and ran away.

"Oh yes, sir," he called over his shoulder. "Every time!"

He made his way back inside the school, moving through the shadows and hiding away in a hallway before pulling out the second watch, holding them both in his hands.

"_No, hide her_," said the man's voice. "_Hide the Bad Wolf."_

He stared, his gaze flicking between the two watches, and he saw again who he now recognized as Rose Tyler and the Doctor. He saw Rose turning, a fierce expression on her face...but then the Doctor carrying her out of a white room, an expression of cold fury on his face. The images went on for a moment, blurring and warring with each other, until they froze on one of the Doctor leaning down and resting his forehead on Rose's, his hand on her cheek.

"He loves her," Timothy whispered in realization, his thumb running over the gold cover. "The only one he has…the only one he _can_."

"_Hide her_," the man's voice said again urgently, and Timothy buried the golden watch back in his pocket.

"But now what do I do?" he asked softly. "What do I do?"

"_Beware_..." the watch said.

"Beware of what?"

"_Her_."

He looked up sharply to see Lucy Cartwright standing at the other end of the hall, still holding her balloon and staring at him. He scrambled to his feet, hiding the watch behind him as she sniffed.

"Keep away," he warned.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I saw you at the dance," he said. "You were with that family. You're one of them."

"What are you hiding?" she asked, her face passive and her voice cold.

"Nothing," he said.

"What have you got there?"

"Nothing," he repeated insistently.

"Show me, little boy," she said, a trace of mocking in her voice.

"I reckon whatever you are, you're still in the shape of a girl," he said warily. "How strong is she, do you think? Does she really want to see this?"

He brought his arm around, snapping open the watch as it came up to eye level, and another vision came forth with the golden light, the sight of the Doctor looking down with a cold expression, surrounded by fire and water. Lucy jumped, her eyes wide with fear, then spun and ran off down the hall.


	38. Family of Blood Part 2

_**Just so you know, in my mental casting, the part of Conway is played by Martin Freeman. As we all know, there's only like 12 actors in the UK, the personality fits (in my head, anyway), and I really love the Arthur Dent tie in...it makes me giggle. Anyway, there's that. ALSO, more fanart from the wonderful Miss Moria, again linked on my profile...a moment that Tim saw in the watch. So yay!**_

_**And now...the majority of the rest of Family of Blood. This chapter actually contains all but the very end of the episode, because that turned out...lengthy, for a number of reasons. Anyway, enjoy!**_

* * *

"What do you make of all this?" John asked Conway casually as he slotted rounds into a rifle.

"What do I make of Baines going mad and attacking the school?" Conway said, examining the sight on his own firearm. "Or what do I make of this Doctor business?"

John glanced at him and sighed. "Miss Lewis is beginning to believe it. She's doubting me."

"Let me ask you something," Conway said, putting his rifle down at his side and turning to look at John more fully. "If, by some chance, it's all true, if you _are_ the Doctor…have you wondered if perhaps it's not just you that Miss Lewis is beginning to doubt?" John frowned at him in confusion. "You dreamt of her, wrote of her...if you are not what you seem, it's not a far stretch from that to believe she may not be either."

"Stand to!" the Headmaster shouted, saving John from trying to form a response. He shook himself as both men turned to face the gate. "At post!" the Headmaster ordered as enemies began pounding on the large wooden door, and everyone raised their weapons.

"Enemy approaching, sir," a boy called from the sentry tower.

"Steady!" the Headmaster said. "Find the biting point."

John forced himself to keep his eyes on the gate, even as he heard the whispers and whimpers from the boys around him. A moment later, the wooden bar across the gate cracked apart and the Headmaster gave the order to fire. John's finger tightened…but he couldn't bring himself to pull. He raised his head from the rifle's sight, watching the straw men blown apart, and glancing around at the young, tear-stained faces of the boys that were supposed to be under his protection, but were instead were being forced to bloody their hands on his behalf. Marion had been right—everything about this was wrong.

He shook his head sadly just before the Headmaster ordered a ceasefire, stepping past the sandbags and into the courtyard to examine the aftermath.

"They're straw," the Headmaster said in quiet disbelief. "Like he said. Straw!"

"Then…no one's dead, sir?" Hutchinson asked, looking up at John, hope and relief clearly evident in the boy's voice. "We killed no one?"

John exchanged a glance with Conway before looking forward again at the sound of footsteps approaching. The Headmaster once again called them to attention as he darted back behind the firing line.

"You child, come out of the way," he called as the young girl from the dance stepped into the courtyard. "Come into the school. You don't know who's out there. It's the Cartwright girl, isn't it? Come here. Come to me."

"Mister Rocastle, please," Martha said, and John turned to see her run out of the school with Joan and Marion. "Don't go near her."

"Mister Smith, it seems your favorite servant is giving me advice," the Headmaster said. "You will control her, sir."

"But she's right," Marion said, stepping forward. "Please…I think you should stay back."

"Mister Smith," Martha said, turning to him imploringly.

"I believe they're right, sir," John said, watching the Cartwright girl warily. "She was with Baines in the village."

"Mister Smith," the Headmaster said with a touch of impatience. "I've seen many strange sights this night but there is no cause on God's earth that would allow me to see this child—"

"She's not a child anymore, Headmaster," Conway said. "Men of straw and schoolboys with guns of unnatural device, and you find _this_ impossible?"

The Headmaster opened his mouth so say something else, and John rolled his eyes, his patience suddenly snapping completely.

"Would you just _come on_," he said growled, stepping forward with Conway and forcibly pulling the Headmaster back between them despite the man's protests. "Put down your guns," he said to the boys, keeping a wary eye on the girl as Conway manhandled the Headmaster inside. "I'll not see this happen. Not anymore. You will retreat…in an orderly fashion back through the school. Hutchinson, lead the way."

"But sir—" Hutchinson said, glancing between him and the girl, who was smirking at them.

"I said, lead the way," he repeated as Baines stepped into the courtyard, gun at the ready.

"Go on, then," Baines said, his mouth twisted in a mad grin. "Run!"

He spun around, pushing the women inside and ushering the boys in after them. He herded the boys from the back toward the back entrance in the stables, locking the door to the school behind him. He was relieved to find Conway in the stables guiding them out, though less happy to see the maid, the Matron, and the librarian still in the building.

"The Headmaster is with them," Conway said as John approached. "We told them to avoid the village."

"Well, that's a mercy," he said. "At least the man can do _something_ useful that doesn't include firearms. Now you, ladies."

"Not until we get the boys out," Joan said quickly.

"It's all of you," he said, staring at them in disbelief as all three women looked back at him with identical expressions of mutiny. "What is it, something in the water?"

"Something about being _them_, I should think," Conway said as he came back from making sure the boys were safely away. "Now what?"

"You take them, get out," he replied, holding up a hand as all three women started to protest. "If there are any boys left, I'll find them and follow," he said, running back to the school door. He wrenched it open to find himself face to face with several of the scarecrow soldiers. "Right. Um, retreat, I think," he said, closing the door again quickly and sprinting after the others out the door.

They raced away, but slowed in the brush near the school entrance as they heard Mister Clarke calling for the Doctor. John stopped, kneeling in the tall grass and bushes, to see the farmer standing on the steps in front of a large blue box. Marion and Martha both touched him briefly as they knelt on either side of him, Conway and Nurse Redfern a little ways behind him.

"Come back, Doctor," Clark was saying. "Come home. Come and claim your prize."

"Out you come, Doctor!" Baines added as the rest of the "Family" joined Clark. "There's a good boy. Come to the Family."

"Time to end it now!" Jenny called.

"You recognize it, don't you?" Martha asked softly.

"The magic blue box," Marion murmured.

"You said you didn't read the journal," he said, looking down at her a little fearfully.

"Come out, Doctor!" Jenny called. "Come to us!"

"Do you remember its name?" Martha asked him.

His gaze flicked between the two women and then up to the group on the steps surrounding the box. No. No, it was insane. The Doctor was a story, and a tragic one at that. He couldn't be that reckless madman, the one who leaped headfirst into danger...the one who had hurt Marion so many times in so many ways.

"I'm not-I'm John Smith," he insisted. "That's all I want to be. John Smith, with his life...and his job...and his love. Why can't I be John Smith? Isn't he a good man?"

"Yes," Marion said. "Of course."

"Why can't I stay?" he asked, scrubbing a hand down his face.

"But, John," Conway put in, "If you're not John Smith, then—"

"No," John said interrupted, his eyes on Marion. "No…don't. Because…if we're both just stories…that's so much worse."

Martha tried to say something else, but he shook his head and scrambled to his feet before running off, away from them, away from the Family, away from the truth bearing down on him.

oOoOo

"This way," Joan said suddenly as they hurried down the lane. "I think I know somewhere we can hide."

"We've got to keep going," John said in a hard voice.

"Where?" Conway asked. "We need to regroup, figure out exactly what we're going to do."

Joan shot the literature professor a grateful look. "Follow me."

They did just that, running down a side lane that she indicated some length before coming upon a darkened cottage.

"Here we are," she said breathlessly as they jogged to a halt. "It should be empty. Oh, it's a long time since I've run that far."

"But who lives here?" Martha asked, looking around.

"No one," Conway said slowly with a frown. "It's the Cartwright house, isn't it?"

Joan nodded as he warily led the group inside the abandoned home. The tea still on the table gave the place a haunted quality that gave everyone the shivers.

"Hello?" Joan called into the stillness. "No one home. We should be safe here."

"The Cartwrights," Marion said quietly as she looked around. "You mean that little girl at school…"

"She's Lucy Cartwright," Joan said with a nod. "Or she's taken Lucy Cartwright's form. If she came home this afternoon and if the parents tried to stop their little girl, then they were vanished." She paused, putting a hand to the teapot on the table. "Stone cold. How easily I accept these ideas."

"Alright, John," Conway said. "What are we going to do?"

John stood next to the table, leaning on it with his fists and looking down with a brooding expression. "I must go to them before anyone else dies."

"What will that solve?" Marion demanded.

"I'm who they're looking for," he retorted, looking up at her. "If I go to them—"

"They're looking for me too," she pointed out. "Apparently. If that's the case, then either one of us—"

"Absolutely not," he said through a clenched jaw, then ran a hand over his jaw as he sank back into a chair with a hopeless sigh.

"Martha, there must be something we can do," Joan said as Marion took a seat next to John, his head bowing as she touched his arm gently.

"Not without those watches," Martha said, shaking her head.

"You're this Doctor's companion!" John said suddenly, looking up at her sharply. "Can't you help? What exactly do you do for them? Why do they need you?"

"I'm just their friend," she told him.

"In other words, you have no use," John snapped.

"Being cruel to your friend isn't going to help anything, John," Conway said.

"Then what will?" he demanded hotly. "Tell me, please, because I'm at a loss."

They all froze when a knock came at the door.

"What if it's them?" Joan whispered fearfully.

"I'm not an expert," Martha said, "but I don't think scarecrows knock."

She moved to the door warily as John stood once again, putting himself between the door and Marion. She glanced back at the tense group before opening the door to reveal Tim Latimer.

"I brought you these," he said quietly, and Martha looked down to see both watches in his hand. She stared at them for a moment before snatching them away and pulling the boy inside before hurrying over to stand in front of John and Marion, holding out the watches, Doctor's orders be damned.

"Hold it," she implored John, seeing more curiosity than hesitation in Marion's eyes.

"I won't," he said, staring at the watches and holding an arm across Marion. "Marion, don't touch them."

"Please, just hold it," she repeated, looking from one scared friend to the other.

"John—"

"_No_, Marion," he said quickly, and Martha put both watches down on the table, momentarily defeated.

"They told me to find you," Latimer said. "They want to be held."

"You've had these all this time?" Joan asked. "Why didn't you return them?"

"Because it was waiting," he said, nodding at the silver one in Martha's right hand. "Waiting and protecting her. And because I was scared of the Doctor."

"Why was that?" Conway asked.

"Because...I've seen him, Sir," Latimer said slowly, watching John. "He's...like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun."

"Stop it," John said.

"He's ancient and forever," Latimer continued. "He burns at the center of time and he can see the turn of the universe."

"Stop!" John said again, backing away. "I said stop it."

"And he's wonderful," Latimer said finally. "Him and Rose Tyler, they dance together through the stars. She created herself, burned with the power of Time and Space. The Doctor and the Bad Wolf, their names are written in eternity."

The five adults stared at the boy in silence with various reactions on their faces. Conway looked thoughtful, Joan a little fearful, and Rose curious while Martha simply smiled a little sadly. John, however, looked like a strung bow, radiating tension, practically vibrating with it.

"I took this from your study," Conway said after a moment, pulling out the journal.

"Those are just stories," John said quickly.

"They're not, though," Marion said quietly. "They never were. I thought…you weren't the only one with dreams, John."

"Perhaps…perhaps there's something in there," Joan said as she took the journal from Conway while John and Marion exchanged a tortured look. Before she could even glance through it, however, an explosion outside rocked the house.

"What the hell?" Martha gasped as they ran for the window.

"They're destroying the village," Joan said, horrified.

"The watch," Marion said quietly, and Martha turned to see her holding the gold watch, her thumb moving over the designs on the cover before she looked up and held the silver one out to John. After a moment, John took a reluctant step toward her. "Hold it," she urged gently.

He took it from her slowly, looking down at it.

"Can you hear it?" Latimer asked.

"I think he's asleep," John said, toying with the watch. "Waiting to awaken."

"Why did he speak to me?" Timothy asked.

"Oh, low-level telepathic field," John said in a strange, arrogant voice, the same one that had cropped up earlier that evening for just an instant. "You were born with it. Just an extra synaptic engram causing—" He stopped, drawing a breath. "Is that how he talks?" he asked in his normal voice.

"That's him!" Martha said excitedly. "All you have to do is open it and he's back."

"You knew this all along," John said accusingly. "And yet you watched while Marion and I—"

"I didn't know how to stop you!" Martha cried, stepping forward. "He gave me a list of things to watch out for but that wasn't included."

"Falling in love?" he asked. "That didn't even occur to him?"

"No," she said. "He had Rose—"

"He _left_ Rose," John said angrily. "He hurt her, abused her, and left her."

"No—" Martha started, eyes widening as she shook her head.

"Yes," John insisted, fuming. "I saw it, in my dreams. He left her, because he was too coward to love her. What sort of man is that? And now you expect us to die for them? For me to become the man too selfish to trust her, and for her to be in pain because of him?"

"It was always going to end, though!" Martha argued desperately. "The Doctor said the Family's got a limited lifespan. That's why they need to consume one of you. Otherwise, three months and they die. Like mayflies, he said."

"So your job was to execute us," John said coldly.

"People are dying out there!" she shouted. "They need him and I need him. 'Cause you've got no idea of what he's like, what either of them are like. It wasn't even that long ago that I met them, but they're the best friends I've ever had. And they do so much for everyone out there...but no matter what the Doctor will do for anyone else, no matter what length he'd go to in order to save a whole planet, it's nothing, nothing compared to what he'd do for her."

"Except love her," John said in a low voice.

"He does love her," Timothy said suddenly, looking between John and Marion. "I saw that too. He loves her more than anything in the universe, more than anything in his whole existence. That's why he's so afraid of her. Because the universe will always need the Doctor. But he'll always need Rose Tyler."

"John, it's getting closer," Conway broke in, standing by the window. "Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it soon, or they'll level the whole village."

John seemed to consider for a moment, then looked up sharply. "I should have thought of it before—I can give them the watches. Then they can leave and Marion and I can stay as we are!"

"I don't think we can, John," Marion said.

"If they want the Doctor, they can have him," he snapped.

"He'll never let you do it," Martha said vehemently.

"Marion, how can you be alright with this?" he demanded suddenly. "You've barely said two words except to urge me to hold this blasted thing. Why?"

"Because…what's right and what's safe aren't always the same thing," she said slowly.

"What does _that_ mean?" he asked, thrown.

"I…I don't…I think that sometimes we have to make the hard decisions," she said, her voice breaking a little. "The painful ones…because no one else will."

"If I give them the watches," he said in a hoarse whisper. "If they get what they want, then—then—"

"Then it all ends in destruction," Joan said, looking up from the journal. "I never read to the end but those creatures would live forever to breed and conquer. War across the stars...for every child."

John made a growl of frustration and rage as he spun around and drove his fist into a wall, fighting against his own impotence in the situation. Marion moved to his side instantly, touching his arm, and he turned, pulling her into a tight embrace as he drew shuddering breaths.

"Come on," Conway said quietly. "Let's…let's give them a moment."

Marion shot him a grateful look, and he nodded at her as he ushered the others out of the house. Marion pulled herself away just enough to take John's hand and pull him over to the hearth of the cold fireplace before kissing him gently and wrapping her arms around him again as angry tears came to his eyes. They sat like that for a long moment, amidst the terror and explosions, rocking gently. Eventually, John pressed a kiss to the top of her head and pulled away, leaning his elbows on his knees, staring at the hated watch.

"You could stay," John said despondently. "They said it themselves…they want the Doctor. You can stay, live your life, be happy. You don't have to change, Marion."

Marion toyed with the gold watch thoughtfully. She knew he was right, but it felt…wrong. She glanced up and saw the journal still lying on the table, and got up slowly to look at it. It was filled with sketches of monsters and enemies…and her.

"What are your dreams about, John?" she asked carefully. "What do you see?"

"Battles," he said. "Danger and loss and pain. And fear…always fear. Fear for myself, fear for you…fear of you." He paused, looking up at her. "He'll never love you. Not the way you deserve. He won't let himself."

"Can I tell you what I dream of?" she asked, still looking down at the journal. "I dream of grass that smells like apples, and vehicles beyond imagination. I dream of Christmas with Dickens, and New Year's Eve in New York, watching a glittering ball fall from the sky. You might see danger and battles…but I see whole worlds saved simply because the Doctor was there. And I see a man who loves Rose fiercely, with every beat of each of his hearts, even though it terrifies him…and she loves him so much it hurts."

"Marion," he whispered painfully as he stood and stepped closer to her.

"I think…I think Tim was right. The universe needs the Doctor," Marion said, looking up at him.

"Then I'll go alone," he said, but she shook her head.

"But I think the Doctor needs Rose," she said. "Whether his fear and arrogance will allow him to admit it or not."

"You shouldn't change for me," he said.

"Good thing it's not your decision," she replied calmly.

"I could make it my decision," he said, drawing himself up. "I could take the watch."

Marion tilted her head to the side. "Is that your ego or his?"

He eyed her for a moment. "You are…so stubborn." He scrubbed a hand down his face and sniffed as he took a step back. "We were happy, though, weren't we? We were going to get married…have a whole life together…"

"Yes," she said when he trailed off. "But now we're going to run…all across the stars. I guess it makes sense that they're what brought us together," she added with a small smile, and he let out a bitter chuckle before she sobered again. "We're wasting time, John. You know what has to happen."

He nodded reluctantly. "That doesn't mean I have to like it." He stepped toward her suddenly, cradling her face in his hands. "Whatever happens between us…between them…remember that I love you."

"I love you too," she said softly, tears welling up in her eyes as he leaned down to kiss her.

With heartbreaking synchronicity, both lovers reached for the watches that would cause their execution, snapping them open without breaking the kiss. Golden light flooded the room, pouring from the watches and surrounding the couple. The tender kiss changed and deepened, gaining an edge of desperation and hunger, but filled with greater love than either false persona could have imagined as the Doctor and Rose Tyler were restored.

It was the Doctor who finally broke the kiss gently, resting his forehead against hers and whispering her name breathlessly. He opened his mouth to say something else as he looked down into her eyes, but then snapped it shut again and swallowed hard. Rose saw watched the emotions play out in his dark eyes…the love, the apology, the fear…and the fury. He eyes flicked up over her head to the door behind her, and his face hardened and he straightened, his eyes blazing.

"Go with Martha to the TARDIS," he said, his voice cold and detached. "I'll meet you there."

"Doctor—"

"Go, Rose."

He reached down, taking the watch from her unresisting fingers, and striding out, the Oncoming Storm ready to rain down fire on the Family who had no idea what the was coming for them.


	39. Family of Blood Part 3

_**And the conclusion! I skipped the scene in the ship with the Family because I don't think anything would have changed substantially, while the aftermath warranted more focus. So there's that. Also, 900 reviews and 500 followers. Holy milestones, Batman! As always, you guys rock my world.**_

_**Oh, one other thing...my beta happily pointed out that the song The One The Got Away by The Civil Wars illustrates the current angstiness of the Doctor and Rose's relationship quite well.**_

_**That's all. Probably won't be able to update tomorrow (sorry!), but a very happy Labor Day to my fellow Americans!**_

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Rose sat on her bed staring at the ring pinched between her fingers. She and Martha had both fled for their rooms as soon as they made it back to the TARDIS, desperate to rid themselves of nineteen thirteen, but this one little piece was weighing on her mind.

Marion, despite the promised future with John, had far less trouble making the decision to change than he had. For one thing, she'd seen all the magic and none of the heartache, which Rose supposed made an odd sort of sense…the way he'd seen all the pain while she'd seen all the beauty basically summed up the Doctor and Rose to a T. But even though Marion had heard everything that John had said about the Doctor leaving Rose, staying as she was never really entered her mind as a viable option. If she stayed, she would not only lose the man she loved, but have to live her life aware that the man in her dreams, the one who looked like him but was so much more, the man who a part of her loved and knew that she was loved in return, was out there, somewhere, alone. Changing meant she had the chance to be more, and still have the man she loved by her side.

Now that she was back, Rose understood and appreciated this line of thinking, but was also aware of how precarious her relationship with the Doctor was. She'd never really expected the Doctor to do something as domestic as marry her—actually, she was pretty sure they'd already accidentally gotten married a few times…and Earth ceremony wouldn't really mean anything more to him than any of those had. But she'd never really been concerned about it; she'd thought it hadn't mattered, because it didn't change what they felt about each other or how committed he was to her. Then he'd run, and she'd realized that he'd never been committed to her at all, not really—he'd never really trusted her to stay, no matter what she said or did. Everything she'd done for years now had been in an effort to stay with him…and all he wanted to do was leave. It really wasn't any wonder that she'd finally snapped.

Then they'd been human. For once, his desire for her outweighed any fear, and he had been the one to pursue _her_, he had been willing to promise her his limited forever. Strangely enough, rather than add to her hurt, this had gone a long way toward defusing her anger. It reminded her that the Doctor's actions hadn't been motivated by any lack of feelings for her, but by the fear ingrained in him from centuries of precedent: people left him, and he always lost. He'd told her that once, in one of his rare moments of vulnerability—even when he won, he always lost, be it someone he cared about, someone he'd just met and was trying to protect, or another piece of himself. Everything good came to an end for him, usually explosively. That fear and subsequent desperation for self-preservation made loving her painful, and truly trusting her next to impossible. But when that was gone, that terror and armor, he'd been happy to risk the pain of rejection for the chance at joy, and it just made her heart break a little more for her scarred Doctor.

It also made her realize with a start just what that look of cold rage in the cottage had meant. It wouldn't matter that there had only been a month left. While he would be furious at the bombardment of the village, the pain he would feel at the loss of a chance at a normal life would translate into a far more violent wrath. He would tear himself apart for what he lost and what he felt he'd taken from her again, and the darkness would take over, and Rose knew that she was the only one with a chance at making him pause before he lost himself completely. She stood quickly, throwing the ring into the back of a drawer in her nightstand. John and Marion were wonderful…but now, for better or worse, they were the Doctor and Rose Tyler in the TARDIS…just as it should be.

oOoOo

Martha sat tensely on the jump seat and watched Rose pick and chew at her nails nervously. It was so strange. They still looked like their fully human counterparts, but so completely different. Martha had spent two months getting used to that version of them, so it was jarring to see the Doctor and Rose Tyler, that fundamental difference that was seen in their bearings, their mannerisms, everything that separated them so completely from those other selves.

The Doctor had barely glanced at her as he walked out of the cottage, obviously filled with a single-minded purpose. Rose had promised Mister Conway and Nurse Redfern that they'd be back later when it was taken care of, and then motioned for Martha to come with her. Martha had led the way back to the TARDIS and happily went to change into something more comfortable, but had started getting concerned after she'd made her way back to the console room and minutes ticked by without Rose reappearing. When she finally had, she looked distracted and worried, which did absolutely nothing to help her mood.

"What's he going to do to them?" she asked hesitantly.

"Dunno," Rose said with a shrug, but her face looked pained. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.

"Rose, listen," Martha said, unable to keep it to herself. "About the watch—"

She was cut off as the TARDIS doors banged open. The Family shuffled in, followed closely by the Doctor wearing a cold expression. He moved to a door that had suddenly appeared off the console room, opening it abruptly.

"In," he said curtly to the Family, and something in his expression kept them from arguing. He didn't even glance at the girls as he slammed the door and locked it behind them before moving off into the corridor.

"Is he just gonna leave them in there?" Martha asked quietly.

"No," Rose said with a frown. Martha waited for a beat, but the blonde continued to watch the door thoughtfully, seeming disinclined to expand. After a moment, Martha shook herself, determined to get out what had been weighing on her mind for two months.

"About the watch," she repeated. "Something he said—"

"He didn't want you to open mine?" Rose asked without looking at her.

"You knew?" Martha asked, stunned.

"I could guess," she said with a shrug, then sighed. "He wouldn't be him if he didn't at least consider leaving me there to live the life he thinks I should want."

"You're…you're _okay_ with that?" Martha asked.

"Course not," Rose scoffed. "But neither you nor the TARDIS would have let him get away with it even if he could have gone through with it, which I doubt, and that particular compulsion isn't really what concerns me right now."

"What does?" Martha asked, but the conversation was cut short as the Doctor once again made an appearance, this time with his familiar pinstripes and gravity defying hair. He moved to the console swiftly, deftly flicking controls with a hard expression.

"What are you going to do to them?" Rose asked quietly.

"Nothing less than they deserve," he replied without looking up.

"Which is what, specifically?" Rose pressed.

"They said they wanted to live forever," he said. "I'm going to make sure they do."

Something about this simple statement sent shivers down Martha's spine. She suddenly had no doubt that he could accomplish this…and in a way that would make them wish for death constantly.

"Don't, Doctor," Rose said quietly. "Don't do this, please. You don't need to."

"Rose, you said you were done," he said. "Be done. I don't want you to fix me, and I didn't ask for your input."

"Well that's just too bad," she said. "'Cause I know that you're hurting and angry, but I'm not gonna let you lose yourself because you're in pain."

He finally paused, staring down at his hands on the controls. "We were happy," he whispered.

"No, Doctor," Rose said gently, moving closer to put her hand on his shoulder. "John and Marion were. They weren't us. It was always going to end."

"It didn't have to," he said, sounding almost desperate. "Not for you."

Martha winced, expecting Rose to finally blow about that. He'd stepped right up for it, practically begged for her to rage at him over his control issues. God knew she would have. But after a moment, she looked at Rose, and saw the blonde studying his profile thoughtfully.

"Could you change me back?" she asked after a moment.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"Would you?" she asked, tilting her head a little. "Really? Would you be willing to change me back into someone who would only remember you as a dream, and never see me again?"

"I—" He stopped, looking up at her for a moment, before snapping his mouth closed and looking down again. "No. I…no."

"Let them die, Doctor," she said softly, running her other hand over his bicep in a soothing gesture. "That's all the punishment they need. That's all you need to do."

He stayed still for another moment, his eyes closed, then slapped at one of the controls with an irritated gesture, abruptly moving away from Rose to shrug into his heavy coat. He strode over to the locked door, wrenching it open.

"Out," he growled. He slammed the door again after the Family made their way into the console room, then moved past them to throw open the doors of the TARDIS, jerking his head for them to follow as he stepped out of the ship. Martha stood and walked closer, stopping near Rose to look out on the pretty but desolate blue planet that the Family had originally found them on.

"But…we're back where we started," Baines said, looking around.

"Yeah," the Doctor said with barely a cursory glance at the landscape.

"But you can't just leave us here," Jenny said. "We'll die."

"Oh yes," the Doctor said, arching an eyebrow.

"But you can't," Baines said, and the Doctor stepped closer to them, lifting his chin arrogantly to look down his nose at them.

"You have no idea what I 'can' do to you, or how many possibilities I seriously considered," he said quietly. He walked slowly down the line of them as he spoke, looking at each in turn, starting with Mister Clark. "I could wrap you in unbreakable chains forged in the heart of a dwarf star. I could drop you into the event horizon of a collapsing galaxy and imprison you forever. I could trap you in a mirror…every mirror. I could freeze you in time and force you to watch over the land you tried to destroy as its protector," he said to Baines, the last in the line. "I could do so much worse than this. You're here by the grace of someone you tried to destroy, someone who, for some reason, thinks I'm better than that, and my desire to believe her is the only thing that's stopping me from making you suffer for an eternity. Being allowed the freedom to die alone and forgotten is the only mercy you're going to get from me. Personally, I don't even think you deserve that."

He turned and stalked back into the TARDIS, banging the doors closed behind him. Once again, he moved to the console without looking up at either of them. Both girls were quiet, feeling a little stunned at the revelation of the plans he'd had for the family.

"We have to go back," Martha said suddenly, and the Doctor looked up at her in surprise, as if he'd forgotten for a moment they were there at all. "Um. To nineteen thirteen. Rose said we'd go back, after…"

"Right," he said. "Yeah. Nineteen thirteen it is."

oOoOo

The Doctor and Rose made their way back to the cottage in silence. Martha had opted to stay behind, as she wasn't really close to either person they were going to see, and would rather not be reminded that she'd been a maid for two months.

The Doctor had his hands buried in his pockets and kept his eyes on the track in front of them. There were a million things he wanted to say to Rose, and each one seemed to be accompanied by a million reasons to stay quiet. He couldn't understand why she was still here, much less why she was still fighting to make him a decent man. What was it John had said? He'd abused her…and left her. And then, because of him, because of who he was, she'd had yet another opportunity at a happy life stolen from her. At this point, she should hate him. He'd understand that.

So why didn't she? Why did she persist in believing in him, seeing something in him that he just couldn't?

The ring had thrown it all off. Because the TARDIS had explained that one, oh yes. It had just been a harmless knick-knack, some random object to fill in John's life. But while that consciousness was still being cemented, he'd seen the ring…and felt every bit of longing the Doctor himself had for a life with Rose, thus giving the object definition. He'd doomed them before they'd even really started; no matter what arguments they had, John would always have fallen for Marion, because the Doctor couldn't help but want her in whatever form he took. He never could have left her alone…and he never could have abandoned her, either. Selfish though it might be, he knew now that he could never have walked away and left her human, no matter how much better off she might have been.

"Hmm?" he said when Rose's voice broke into his thoughts.

"I said, are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. "I could just go talk to them—"

"No, no, I'm fine," he said quickly with a wave of his hand. "Tell you what…Conway's outside. I'll talk to him, you go inside and talk to Joan. Divide and conquer, then we can get out."

"Yeah, alright," she said with a nod. "Just…"

"I'm not leaving without you, Rose," he said softly when she trailed off. She nodded and moved off, shaking hands with Conway as she flashed a brilliant smile before heading inside. He swallowed hard and sucked in a breathe before approaching the cottage himself.

"Roger Conway," he said with a smile as he extended a hand. The other man took it with a trace of amusement on his face.

"That's the first time you've called me by my Christian name," the man said. Then he paused, the laughter dropping from his expression. "Is it done?"

The Doctor sobered immediately. "It's done."

Conway gestured to the bench, and they both sat down. "We'll have to go soon. Nurse Redfern and I. The Police and the army are at the school. The parents have come to take the boys home. We'll have to help the Headmaster answer questions. I'm not sure what to say."

"What, you think they might have trouble accepting that aliens from another world inhabited the bodies of a student, a maid, and a couple of villagers and attacked the school with an army of straw men?" the Doctor asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Or that our history professor and librarian were apparently false personas invented by another alien entirely," Conway added. "So little imagination."

"Such a shame," the Doctor said with a smile. "You know…you seem to be handling all this remarkably well, Roger."

"Doctor, I'm a literature professor," the other man said. "I've dedicated my life to imagining things far greater than anything we've seen on this mortal coil. All this has only served to prove that this effort has not been in vain."

"Good answer," the Doctor said. "I wish now that I'd talked to you more when I had the chance."

"Likewise," Conway said. "How does it feel, Doctor? Being back in your own mind, your own skin?"

_Wonderful. Brilliant. Fantastic, even. Molto bene._

"Painful." He hesitated, stunned at his own admission, then sighed. "It was nice being human. So…uncomplicated."

"You're saying we're simple?" Conway asked with a smirk.

"Yes," the Doctor said with a shrug. "But not the way you mean. It's all just…less. Less time, less hesitation, less fear…"

"Less chances for regret?" Conway asked astutely.

"That too," the Doctor admitted. "It was all so easy to jump at every chance, to take risks, because even if they went badly…" He sighed again and scrubbed a hand down his face. "I could be braver, as a human. John was braver."

Conway studied him thoughtfully for a moment. "I don't know about that. I read some of that journal of yours. I don't know that John could have done most of the things that you have."

"I don't think he _would _have done some of things I have, either," the Doctor said quietly.

"Rose," Conway said. The Doctor didn't say anything, but he took that as affirmation. "I'm not sure that John was quite right in his accusations about you."

"No?" the Doctor asked, arching an eyebrow, genuinely curious now.

"No," he said. "There's quite a lot in there about ways that you've hurt her or harmed her—or at least put her in harm's way—but precious little about anything good you've done. But if read objectively, quite a lot of the harm that you've blamed yourself for has very little to do with you, other than the fact that it occurred while travelling with you, and the hurt you've caused her had very little to do with actually being abusive to her, or any lack of affection you have for her, and everything to do with your inability to see past your own self-loathing. You ran because you honestly don't understand why she loves you, and you live in fear of the day that she realizes that she doesn't. It makes me wonder how differently you would be portrayed in her journal, had she kept one." He paused thoughtfully. "I think that the only reason John might have been braver was because he had all your desire, but none of your regrets."

"Just how much time did you spend with that journal?" the Doctor asked after a moment.

"Literature professor," Conway reminded him. "It's my job to read between the lines…and I've become rather good at it."

"Save me from perceptive humans," the Doctor groaned, leaning back against the wall behind him.

Conway laughed. "Can I give you a bit of advice, Doctor?"

"Can I stop you?"

"No," he said with a smiled, and the Doctor rolled his eyes before nodding. "You're going to live a very long time. It's going to be much harder if you don't allow yourself to trust someone. And, from the sounds of it, she's the only one you can…not to mention, the only one who's earned it. And…if you really want to know why she loves you…ask."

"Yeah…maybe." The Doctor eyed him for a moment. "You're a good man, Roger Conway." He glanced at the door Rose had gone through to see Joan. "I think…Nurse Redfern deserves another chance with a good man."

"I plan on proving that to her as soon as possible," Conway said calmly, and the Doctor gave a little chuckle.

"Good man," he repeated as he stood. The two men shook hands before the Doctor turned for the door to the cottage.

"Oh, Doctor," Conway said suddenly, and he turned back. "Good luck."

He glanced at the door again before looking back at the professor. "And you."

oOoOo

Joan made to stand when Rose stepped into the cottage, but she waived her off, taking the seat across from her instead.

"How're you holding up?" Rose asked the nurse who had been such a good friend for the last couple of months.

"As well as to be expected, I suppose," Joan said tactfully.

"So…not very well at all, then?" Rose asked with a smile.

"Not particularly, no," Joan admitted with a small laugh of disbelief. "I'm still not really sure what to make of any of this. Beings from another world…my friends transformed…"

"It's a lot to take in," Rose agreed with a nod.

"John and Marion," the nurse said. "What happened to them?"

"Oh…they're still around," Rose said, tilting her head a little. "Inside somewhere."

"I will say this," Joan said slowly, studying Rose. "I think that it's a good thing that my brief infatuation came to naught. The end of all this would have been far more tragic and heartbreaking."

"For both of you," Rose said thoughtfully.

"And for you," Joan said. "I should think coming back would have been far more difficult had the man you loved just spent quite some time chasing after someone else entirely."

"Yeah…" Rose pushed away the thoughts of another blonde in another lifetime, when the Doctor had run so far from her the first time.

"About the Doctor," Joan said hesitantly. "Are you sure that you want to return with him to that life?"

"Of course," Rose said immediately, looking at Joan curiously. "It's my life too. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, what John said about the Doctor—"

"John didn't know the Doctor," Rose said quickly.

"John _was_ the Doctor," Joan pointed out.

"Exactly," Rose said with a shrug. "He doesn't have a very realistic view of himself. So of course John, who only saw certain memories in dreams, would have a slightly skewed idea of him. Self-recrimination is like a hobby to the Doctor, like how some people paint or sew or fish. He falls back on it when he's stressed, berating himself for things beyond his control and blaming himself for everyone's pain."

"Then he hasn't hurt you?" Joan asked.

"Sure he has," Rose said. "He's not perfect. Neither am I. We tend to hurt each other when we're scared and angry, because sometimes people do that. It's not alright, and there's definitely…some conversations we should have at some point. But he's a good man. Sometimes he forgets that, because so many of the great things he does he doesn't think anything of, because it's just what he _does_, but the painful things he was forced to do stay with him forever. He's so busy painting himself as the monster that he doesn't always give himself a chance to see the beauty he adds to so many lives."

"Have you wondered if perhaps neither of you is completely realistic?" Joan asked quietly, looking out the window.

"How do you mean?"

"If you and the Doctor hadn't come here," Joan said slowly. "If he hadn't chosen this place on a whim…would anyone here have died?"

"Not like this," Rose admitted softly. "But he had to give them a chance. The Family. He always does. He ran to give them the opportunity to leave us alone. They chose not to. Maybe he was guilty of overconfidence that they wouldn't find us, that they wouldn't…but that's all. If you're gonna to blame someone for this, blame the ones that killed people, not the one who saved the rest."

"And that's it?" Joan asked. "That's the solace I'm supposed to find? That the one who brought them here is the one that ultimately disposed of them?"

"It's not pretty, Joan," Rose said with a shrug. "It never is. But Tim would have never found the courage to stand out if it wasn't for the Doctor. Those boys wouldn't have seen someone at least _try _to fight on their behalf. And you…would you have found the courage to admit that maybe your life didn't have to stop just because your husband's did?" Joan looked away hurriedly. "It's never easy or simple…it never gets tied into a neat package with a bow. But it's never all lost."

"Is that why he needs you?" Joan asked. "He sees all the dark, while you see all the light?"

Rose smiled. "You know, Shakespeare said something similar once. I dunno, maybe. We sort of…balance each other out, I guess. He's there to catch me when I get disappointed because reality is crueler than I'd like it to be, and I'm there to pull him up when he starts drowning in his guilt."

"John said he left you," Joan said softly.

"It's complicated," Rose said with a sigh. "More complicated than I want to get into right now."

"Of course," Joan said with a quick nod. "It's really none of my business anyway."

Rose hesitated for a moment, picking at her nails. "I'll miss you, Joan. I liked being Marion, and part of that is because of you."

"I'll miss you too," Joan said. "Well, I don't really know _you_, other than what I've read in this…" Joan touched the journal absently. "But I will miss Marion, and I suppose that's very nearly the same thing."

"Very nearly," Rose said, a little sadly. "But, you know…Mister Conway seemed to be quite the dancer…and I do believe I caught some looks between you two…"

"Oh, now, Rose, really," Joan scoffed. "We've barely even had time to get to know one another."

"Take the time," Rose advised. "Remember…your life is still worth living."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," the nurse said as a knock came on the door. Both women looked up to see the Doctor stepping carefully into the room.

"Nurse Redfern," he said with a wide smile. "How are you?"

"I'm well, Doctor," Joan said, still sounding a little cold. The Doctor glanced at Rose, who shrugged back at him.

"Right," he said, his smile faltering. "Well, um…Rose, we should…"

"Right, yeah," she said, standing up. "Just…do something for me, Joan. Have a fantastic life."

"I shall certainly try," Joan said, a little surprised, but happier than she'd been when Rose first entered the cottage. "Oh, Doctor…I suppose you'll be wanting this back," she added, holding out the journal.

The Doctor made to take it, but then seemed to think better of it. "No…why don't you hold on to it? Something to remember us by."

"I…thank you, Doctor," Joan said with a little nod.

Rose stepped closer and pulled her in for a tight hug before saying goodbye once more and following the Doctor out the door. She stopped and gave Conway a kiss on the cheek as well, advising him to spend some alien-free time with Joan, and was delighted when he agreed wholeheartedly. The Doctor surprised her by taking her hand as they walked away from the cottage, but she realized that this was probably just an automatic gesture…it didn't stop her from relishing in it while it lasted. She was even more surprised when he pulled her to a halt just before making their way up the slope to the TARDIS, looking down at her a little uncertainly.

"Rose…I just want to say…thank you," he said slowly. "For stopping me."

"Course," she said easily. "That's what I'm here for."

"No, it's not," he said, stepping closer. "But you always do, or at least try to. And I don't thank you enough. So thank you, Rose. For being the best part of me."

He looked down at her, bringing his other hand up to run his thumb over her cheek lightly, leaning in ever so slightly before seeming to falter. He dropped a quick kiss on her hair, then turned and pulled her up the slope, dropping her hand as soon as they came within sight of Martha and the TARDIS. Rose wasn't entirely whether this was progress or not, but it hadn't been the cold politeness or the mad bickering, so either way, she'd take it.

"Right then," he called to Martha as they approached. "Molto bene."

"How were they?" Martha asked.

The Doctor glanced at Rose, then answered for both of them. "Interesting. Very…interesting. And, with any luck, at the beginning of a fantastic life."

"Good for them," Martha said with a smile.

"Yeah," he said with a nod, glancing out over the countryside. "Time we moved on."

"Oh, and I don't think we ever said," Rose put in quickly. "Thanks for looking after us."

She moved closer, wrapping her arms around the other girl and pinning Martha's arms to her side as she squeezed tight. She glanced over to see the Doctor grin before hurrying over and wrapping his arms around both of them.

"Brilliant Martha Jones," he said. "Housemaid extraordinaire."

"God, I'm so gonna kill you," Martha said indistinctly, her words muffled in her friends' embraces, and the other two laughed.

They finally released her when they heard the sound of a voice calling their names down the slope, and turned to see Timothy Latimer approaching.

"Tim-Timothy-Tim!" the Doctor called as the boy stepped closer.

"I just wanted to say good-bye," Tim said. "And thank you, because I've seen the future and I now know what must be done. It's coming, isn't it? The biggest war ever."

"You don't have to fight," Rose said quickly.

"I think we do," the boy responded firmly.

"But you could get hurt," Martha said with a frown.

"Well, so could you two," Tim said reasonably. "Travelling around with him, but it's not going to stop you. What's right and what's safe aren't always the same things, right, Rose?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling proudly at the boy.

The Doctor studied him for a moment. "Tim, I'd be honored if you'd take this," he said finally, holding out the silver watch.

"I can't hear anything," Tim said, holding it up.

"No, it's just a watch now," the Doctor said. "But keep it with you. For good luck."

"What about the other one?" Tim asked hesitantly with a glance at Rose.

"That one's mine," he replied evenly, and Rose looked at him sharply. He didn't so much as glance at her, looking calmly down at Tim, who nodded after a moment, seeming satisfied with something.

"Look after yourself," Martha said, stepping closer to give the boy a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"'Bye, Tim," Rose said, following suit. "And thanks for…everything."

The Doctor was already holding the door open to the TARDIS when they turned away from Tim, and they filed in. The Doctor shot another glance at the boy.

"You'll like this bit," he said with a smile before following the girls into the TARDIS, darting up to the console and spinning them off into the Vortex while the girls smiled at the look of wonder on Tim's face through a monitor.

oOoOo

It was another two years before Roger Conway finally convinced Joan Redfern that her life could continue, and that, more importantly, they could share that life. They exited the church aglow with happiness even in the midst of tragedy during what was already being referred to as The Great War, the war to end all wars. Roger leaned down to kiss his bride as they were showered in rice and flower petals before looking up again and catching sight of the couple standing some distance away, watching the festivities with smiles. The Doctor had his hands buried in his pockets, and Rose had her arms wrapped around one of his, resting her head lightly on his shoulder. Roger raised a hand in a small mock salute, one that they both returned with widening grins. Someone called his name, distracting him, and when he looked back, his dear friends, the ones he would always remember fondly and toast to in quiet moments, had vanished.

oOoOo

Many years later, long after the Great War had been eclipsed by World War II and most of the men he'd fought with were nothing but a memory, Timothy Latimer, an old man now, sat in a wheelchair in front of the soldier's memorial on Remembrance Day. He listened sadly to the scripture read, thinking of those fallen and those terrible cold nights. He looked up once, and couldn't help smiling slightly when he caught sight of the three travelers: Rose Tyler pinning a poppy onto the Doctor's lapel as Martha Jones stood closely by. The Doctor looked up as Rose turned toward the memorial, and they caught sight of Timothy, smiling gently back at him.

"_They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;  
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.  
At the going down of the sun and in the morning  
We will remember them."_

He would never forget those men that had fallen too early to madness that swept the world. But there was one, just one, that had survived because of him, and because of the Doctor. The man who fought the madness that swept the universe.

_Thank you, Doctor_, he thought, his eyes closing briefly before he looked down, his thumb brushing across the now familiar design on the cover of his old watch. _Thank you for everything._


	40. Conspiracy Theory

_**Hope everyone had a good Labor Day! It kind of sounds like you've all been itching for this chapter, the post-Family interlude. Hope it answers any and all questions...well, except for the Blink reference a few chapters back. No easy answers for that yet, I'm afraid. Oh, and in case any of you weren't aware, the Rose Galaxies is totally a real thing...go look it up. It's really awesome. Are really awesome? Dunno...one rose, two galaxies...anyway. Enjoy.**_

* * *

The Doctor leaned back in his leather desk chair, throwing his pen down in frustration as one hand went through his hair. He wasn't even sure what he was trying to write. Some account of the Family, some warning to himself the Hunters hadn't disappeared, that it might not be the only isolated pocket in a forgotten corner of the universe. What he kept coming back to was, of course, Rose. It was expected…that happened all the time now when he tried to recount adventures. He'd expected it with this one especially, for the guilt to strangle him when he considered the way they'd nearly had it all before it had been ripped away again. What he _hadn't_ expected was to be pummeled with memories of a different variety, memories from before the Family, before the Sun…memories of laughter and smiles. Just after Canary Wharf, there'd been a period of…months. They'd been ridiculously happy. He was always afraid, sure…afraid of the day it would stop, the day she'd remember the other things she wanted, the day she'd leave…but in the meantime, he'd been thrilled just to have her. He kept remembering Christmas, stealing kisses under the mistletoe, watching her practically glow while she sat in front of the fire sipping cocoa and then wine. He remembered the kiss they'd shared when her balcony first made an appearance, just after her need for his safety had warred with his need for hers. He remembered…dancing on the stage of the Globe, when she'd proven yet again to know him so much better than anyone else. He even let out a small laugh when he remembered the slap and subsequent kiss after meeting the Daleks…then sighed when he realized how close that was to when everything went to hell.

The gentle pressure in the back of his mind made him glance up at the ceiling suspiciously, wondering if this strange assault was slightly less than merely internal, but received only a hum of innocence in return—one that he didn't believe for a second, but didn't feel like arguing either. Because the truth was…the truth was, he was tired. So tired. They were right…all of them. He'd run…again. Because everything good in his life eventually twisted and turned against him somehow, and he just couldn't take the thought of that happening to Rose. But he was just so damn _tired_ now…of running, of being miserable, of trying to pretend that it was better this way. Apart from anything else, Rose was his best friend, the one that made him smile and actually feel it, the one that had made everything hurt just a little less from the moment he first took her hand…and he missed her. He missed everything about her. And that…that was just idiotic, because he knew that at any given moment, he could find her somewhere on his ship. Just like…just like when he'd instated that ridiculous distance rule…

He groaned, scrubbing a hand down his face. That had worked so well the first time, of _course_ he'd go for a repeat performance. This was worse, though. Rose had been hurt far worse by this…this hadn't just been him pushing her away before she got to close…this had been him running from something they already had, something good, because he just couldn't believe that something that good could possibly last. Not for him. Not from her.

"_You ran because you honestly don't understand why she loves you, and you live in fear of the day that she realizes that she doesn't.__"_

That was completely true. He'd _never_ completely understood why she loved him. He could see a million reasons why she should hate him, but next to none why she'd love him. The only things he could come up with were that he'd shown her the stars, whisked her away in this mad box of his…but she'd still loved him when the box was gone, when he could only show her the stars from the firm ground of planet Earth, when he'd had nothing to offer but himself. Granted, that version of himself hadn't been guilty of so many crimes against her, either.

He stood up, moving into the corridor to prowl around the ship restlessly. It baffled him, the fact that she was still here. They'd spent time bickering and generally annoying each other, but she hadn't actually _left_. And…he hadn't actually asked her to leave. Which, he realized, was probably entirely selfish…he'd broken it off with her for her own good, but then hadn't actually gone so far as to remove her from his life the way that would actually protect her from him and him from her inevitable future rejection. But just saying they couldn't be together was easy…actually leaving her somewhere to start a life without him, to go on in his life without _her_…that was entirely different.

"Thing is, he always gets it so backwards," he heard Rose's voice say, and froze. Somehow, he'd ended up right outside the kitchen, where Rose was talking to Martha. About him. _Brilliant._ He turned to go back the way he'd come, but found his way suddenly blocked by a door that had _definitely_ not been there a moment ago. He frowned at it, and tried the knob, but it was locked. He pulled out his sonic, but found the door to be deadlock sealed. He narrowed his eyes. That wasn't right. He turned around again, preparing to chance his luck at getting past the open door unseen—only to find another door blocking the corridor just past the kitchen.

"Oh, now, that's just cheating," he muttered, having no doubt that he'd probably find that door in the same state as the one behind him. For whatever reason, his ship was determined to keep him in this spot. He leaned back against the wall and prayed for sudden deafness.

"It's just that he's so arrogant," Rose continued, "so convinced of his own brilliance, that he just can't see how his complete lack of self-worth gets everything wrong."

"How do you mean?" Martha asked.

"Well…alright, he talked to you a little, right?" Rose asked. "He told you…why he felt the need to end things?" There was a small pause, probably for a nod. "Right, well, he's so afraid that one day I'll start tallying up everything I've lost and start blaming him, yeah? But he just doesn't…I mean, the first time round with him, I got trapped in that parallel world." He winced, not wanting to think about that version of events, but realizing that was as much a part of her life as this one had been. "I lost…so much. Everything I'd known, everything I'd wanted, everything I'd been sure about. I lost the place to come back to, the place I called home…I lost him, and I lost the future that I could've had…even without knowing how good it could have been, that was…huge. And…god, more painful than I can even say. Saying goodbye to him…like that…I just…" Another pause, and he could imagine her pulling in a deep breath to steady herself as he sank down the wall. "Anyway. So I lost all that. And then, when I was there, everything I had left and everything I started to rebuild…that all got stripped away from me piece by piece, without even having the luxury of understanding why. But through all that, through all the pain and the anger and the loneliness, you know the one thing I _never _did? I never blamed him, and I never regretted the time I spent with him. Not once. I can't say that I ever had the thought that it was worth it…because that would mean that I correlated the two at all. It wasn't his fault. Ever. I mean, I wouldn't have come back and done it all over if I had ever held him responsible, right?"

"Yeah, alright," Martha said slowly as the Doctor let his head fall back against the wall, trying to take in what Rose had already said. "But that's not really what he's seeing, is it? I mean, he _knows _that happened, but what he actually witnessed was you losing your family, your friends, your human life, all 'cause of him. And, honestly, I'm not sure how you're dealing with all that as well as you are, even if you don't blame him."

He heard Rose sigh. This is where it would get messy. Because she couldn't deny what she'd lost because of him. Maybe this conversation alone would make her realize just how ugly it all really was when brought to light.

"For one thing, I'd already lost them all once," Rose said quietly. "They were all forgetting me…by the time I came back, they barely remembered me at all. So, really what I got was a second chance with all of them. That's really what I mean…I get why…in that alternate timeline, it would be so easy to be resentful and hateful and blame him for everything, 'cause I had lost everything and I was never supposed to see him again anyway. But he really doesn't see this one the right way. He sees all the bad stuff, and blames himself…and completely misses all the other stuff."

"Like what?" Martha asked. "Alright, you got your second chance with your family, but you still lost them."

"But I know they're over there, living their lives, and they're happy," Rose said. "I know they are, because I was there. Mum has a second chance with my dad at the life they always wanted, the one they always deserved, but never quite got, either of them. And Mickey…God, Mickey was so useless when we met the Doctor," Rose said with a laugh, and even the Doctor smiled a little. "Mickey the idiot, the Doctor used to call him. But just like me, he figured out that he could do so much more, _be _so much more…and now he's over there with Torchwood, defending the Earth, being a _great _man…and all while getting the chance to spend a few extra years with his Gran. The Doctor gave them all that. Of course it hurts, and of course I miss them, but it could be so much worse. They're happy because of what they were able to find, and I'm happy because I have him, I have the life I love, and I know they're never going to forget me. And that's the thing that he doesn't get…he's so quick to blame himself for all the bad stuff, he never gives himself enough credit for the good stuff."

They were both quiet for a moment, and the Doctor closed his eyes. How did she do that? How did she take everything he knew and, with one added facet, turn it all on its side? _The light to your dark_, Shakespeare had said. Because she was right…he really hadn't thought about…any of that. He'd been so focused on what she'd lost…he hadn't really thought as much about how she might have seen it all. He'd just assumed she was in denial when she hadn't raged at him from the start. It never occurred to him that she genuinely didn't feel the need to rage at him at all.

"What about the other stuff?" Martha asked. "The way you changed…the way that's…hurt you?"

Rose made an irritated noise. "You and I both know that's not his fault. I mean, the Racnoss, the Judoon, the Family…all of that still would have happened. Maybe me not being…completely human added an extra…nuance to it all, but that doesn't mean anything. It's incidental. I mean…well, like the Family…would he have gone to that planet on his own, if we weren't here for him to show it to? Does that mean that it's our fault that all that happened? No. It's just…things that happen."

"But he's still got a point," Martha said slowly. "I mean, you changed for him. You're going to live a long time, and everyone you meet…"

"Is going to die before me, most likely," Rose finished. "But I'm also going to get to meet so many amazing people that I wouldn't have otherwise. Yes, it's going to hurt. A lot, probably. But that doesn't make it any less worthwhile. And as for doing it for him…" She paused with another sigh. "I did it for me, too. To have a chance at the life I wanted, the life with him. Here's the thing, Martha…you saw how angry he was, how hurt he was when we came back? That's because he knows he can never change for me, that he'll never be able to give me what he thinks I should want. It just…it never enters his head that I'd be willing to do the same for him, and I _can_, so I _did_. He tears himself up because he can't give me what I want, and I don't know how else to prove to him that what I _want_, one of the things I want most of _all_, is to give him something he needs…something that will last, a hand to hold."

"So why's it so hard for him?" Martha asked. "I mean, you guys were so happy…why'd he even…do all this? What happened? What made him so sure you'd resent him someday?"

"He did," Rose said. "It's just…he's been around a long time, right? He's got nine hundred years of people leaving, or dying, or betraying him, or all three. Somewhere along the line, when added to the things he did that he's not proud of—some mistakes, some things he was forced to do—he started believing he deserves it. Like he really doesn't deserve to have someone stick around, or to truly care about him. He convinces himself he's better off alone, because I think there's a part of him that lists out all the ways he's going to lose someone the minute he meets them, so it's easier to run or hide himself away."

The Doctor's shoulders slumped. He wasn't sure which was worse…the fact that he was an emotionally crippled, masochistic moron…or the fact that she actually understood all of it. That she genuinely _wanted_ to stay, and not just because she cared about him…but because she thought he deserved to have someone stay for once. But even that just made him feel worse. If she understood all that, why set herself up like that? She knew exactly what he was doing when he'd told her it was over. She'd known back when he'd said they needed distance. Why did she keep coming back?

"So why keep doing all this?" Martha asked, and he looked up sharply. "You love him so much…what is it about him that keeps you around?"

"You're awfully curious, Martha Jones," Rose said, suddenly sounding a little suspicious.

"Do you realize how rare it is for either of you to talk about anything personal for this length of time?" Martha shot back in exasperation. "I figured I might as well push my luck while you were still…open and available and whatever."

"You know some of it," Rose said after a pause. "There's a reason you were attracted to him, right? He's got that charisma and charm, that brilliance, that…dunno, magnetism about him. Plus the fit body and _really_ great hair…" The Doctor smirked at that, running his hands through said hair.

"Yeah, but there's gotta be more than that," Martha said after the girls shared a giggle. "'Cause I saw the way you stood up to him when he was all…dark. There's more than that."

"Yeah," Rose sighed. "I told Joan, we balance each other out. He keeps me grounded, and I keep him sane. But it's not just that, either. I mean, I'm pretty sure he thinks that it's just 'cause of the travelling, and the adventures, and that's part of it. I love him when he's being the hero, when he's saving people and planets just because he's there and he can. I love him when he's imperfect, when he runs because he's afraid that the losses will catch up to him, when the ghosts in his head start screaming at him, when he can't quite fight the demons and starts breaking apart. I love him when he's shouting at me because it's so much easier to be angry than scared, and so hard to let go of control. And I love him when we're sitting in the TARDIS and he's reading Harry Potter to me, or ranking the Marx Brothers in order of comedic value—a list that changes order every time he makes it, by the way—or explaining to me why I'm absolutely wrong, and Fred Astaire is far superior to Gene Kelley in every way. I love him when he's lecturing about things that no one but him could possibly be as passionate about, like the many uses of bananas or the planets on which pears and other pear like fruits have been banned. And I love him when he makes me tea after a nightmare, and talks to me about it, even if it's something painful for him. I love him for every charm he made, for every moment he's held me, for every kiss he's stolen, for every touch or look that said more than words ever could that I was loved and cherished and wanted. I love him because he's the Doctor…the mad man in the box, with the most scarred and beautiful soul you'll ever see."

The Doctor swallowed hard as his eyes burned in the silence that followed this. He'd always known that she saw the best in _everyone_, and she'd always said that she loved him for him, and the fact that she still loved him even after dealing with some of his demons and issues should have proved it. But that was before Canary Wharf, before she'd lost everything, before the guilt had wrapped itself around his neck in a noose…to hear her say so plainly why she loved him still, all those small bits of him, after everything he'd put her through—

"Right," Martha said sharply, breaking into his thoughts, and heard the scrape of a chair being pushed back.

"Where're you going?" Rose asked, and he scrambled to his feet before tugging ineffectually at the door.

"I'm going to get the Doctor, and you're going to repeat everything you just said," Martha said firmly. "Because even if it was his own craziness that made him run away, he needs something to help him fight that, and, correct me if I'm wrong, you've never said any of that quite so clearly to him."

"I…well, I mean…there's—"

"Yeah, didn't think so," Martha said, her voice closing to the doorway now, and the Doctor tugged more desperately on the handle in front of him.

"Come on come on come on…" he muttered, then spun around when he heard a gasp behind him. "Martha Jones! Fancy meeting you here!"

Martha stared at him for a moment, startled, before she frowned, narrowing her eyes at him. She stomped forward and reached up, dragging him down and forward into the kitchen by his ear, ignoring his many shouts of protest.

"Martha, I am a _nine hundred year old Time Lord_," he said finally, pulling his head away sharply and straitening with dignity.

"Yeah, well, you're also a nine hundred year old git," Martha said ungraciously, crossing her arms. "You love each other, you'd do anything to stay with each other, but you're both stubborn and ridiculous. So, Doctor, did you hear all the reasons that explain why your fear of her becoming bitter and resentful is unfounded and completely ludicrous?"

He cleared his throat and shot a sheepish glance at Rose. "Um…yes?"

"Right," Martha said, turning to Rose. "And you understand why he's so completely daft, and that you're going to have to remind him sometimes that you, for some reason, think he hung the moon and that your opinion about that isn't going to change, you know, ever?"

"Yes, Martha," Rose said, sounding suitably chastised.

"Good," Martha said with a sharp nod. "Now, you two are gonna stay in here and talk out whatever else you still need to, 'cause I spent two weeks watching you two war with each other, then two months watching it happen with those other versions of you. I'm done. This is stupid. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison, and she eyed them both suspiciously. Then she made an irritated noise and spun on her heel, walking out of the room.

"Oh, hold on, there's a—" The Doctor darted into the hall to see Martha pass freely through the door that had refused to budge for him. "Door. Hmm…" He approached it when it closed again behind her, and wasn't entirely surprised to find it locked again. He made his way back to the kitchen and took a seat next to Rose thoughtfully.

"How long were you out there?" Rose asked hesitantly.

"Long enough," he said, still frowning. "The TARDIS trapped me there. I think…Rose Tyler, I think we've been conspired against."

"Oh, d'you think?" Rose asked, and they both started laughing. "God, no wonder she was so curious all of a sudden. It was probably all timed. Never should have left her alone with your ship for two months."

"Clearly," he said with a shake of his head. He hesitated for just an instant, but then shook his head again at his own reticence. "Did you mean all that? About…your family, and…well…all of it?"

"You mean how I don't blame you for anything, I don't regret anything, and I love you even though your complete insanity drives me up the wall sometimes?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up," he said, his voice a little squeaky as he tugged at his ear.

"Yeah," she said. "Meant every word. I'm…sorry I didn't say more of that before. Didn't make it clear how I felt about where my family was and things."

"S'alright," he said, staring down at the table. Nothing was all better. Even if somehow this conversation got them somewhere close to where they'd been, there was still the matter of the impossible bond and accompanying mental ache, one that, based on the evidence, would only continue to get worse if he started a physical relationship with her again. Eventually, he'd have to tell her about that too, that it his fear wasn't all that could keep them apart. But the idea that she might think she was somehow lacking killed him, especially after what he'd already put her through.

He'd have to tell her. Eventually. But for right now…

"Come on," he said, standing up suddenly. She looked up at him in surprise, but he only smiled and held out his hand, wiggling his fingers a little at her. She finally let out a little laugh and shook her head before standing and taking his hand. He led her out of the kitchen and into the conspicuously door free corridor. "Sure, now I can leave," he muttered. He glanced down when Rose giggled. "You're laughing, Rose Tyler. Laughing at my pain."

"In this particular instance…you bet," she said with a teasing grin as they entered the console room. He shook his head and released her hand to jump over to the console. He danced around it with more vigor than he'd felt in…quite a while, if he was perfectly honest, even discounting the months as a human. She was smiling at him again, and she loved him, and she didn't blame him for anything. He sprang away from the controls again after a quick glance at the monitor to make sure the view was just right.

"Close your eyes," he said, stepping closer to her again.

"Why?"

"Trust me," he said softly, putting a hand on her cheek. Her eyes widened for an instant and her breath hitched, but she did as he requested. He dropped his hand, taking one of hers in each of his as he led her across the console room. He released her when they stopped near the bottom of the ramp, turning quickly to throw open the ship doors. He darted to her side again to whisper in her ear a command to open her eyes again. He smiled when she gasped and her hands flew to her face before she took a step closer to the door.

The TARDIS was floating in space in an area with a perfect view of the galaxies that had, by some miracle of creation, formed a rose against the inky blackness of space.

"I know that, as a rule, you're not fond of roses," he said quietly, stepping closer to her again to stand at her shoulder. "But I thought that, perhaps, in this circumstance…you might make an exception."

"Blimey," she breathed, staring out at it for another moment before glancing up at him. "You know, Doctor, most men just _buy_ women flowers when they want to apologize…they don't give them whole galaxies."

"I think you'll find, Rose Tyler," he said softly, "that I am most definitely _not_ like other men."

"Never doubted it," she said, giving him that teasing, tongue in teeth grin that he loved so much and had seen so little of recently. Even Marion had never really gotten it right. Even after all this time, it left him a little breathless. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked back out at the beauty before them.

"It's two galaxies," he said, nodding at the rose. "The spiral one on top gets that sort of elliptical shape from gravitational tides pulling at it from the galaxy below. It's said…to be the most beautiful rose in the universe. Personally…I think it's a little overrated."

"Flattery _and_ flash," Rose murmured. "You really are going all out."

"How'm I doing so far?" he asked, glancing down at her.

"Too soon to tell," she said with a shrug, but he could see her lips twitching. He nodded, looking back out at the swirling galaxies before sighing.

"I'm sorry, Rose," he said quietly. "For everything. For doubting you, for running, for hurting you…it was…"

"Idiotic?" she suggested.

"I was going to say unnecessary, but I suppose your word works too," he said, arching an eyebrow before he scrubbed a hand down his face. "I'm bad at this. I always have been. Even when I was married…that was arranged. It didn't actually require a whole lot on my part. We…cared about each other, but…anyway. My point is…I want to do better. I don't want to hurt you anymore. I can't guarantee that I'm suddenly going to become the paragon of emotional stability, or that I'm going to acquire a sudden fondness for full-disclosure…but I'm tired of running. And…I miss you, Rose. I hate not being able to hold you, or fall asleep next to you, or watch films or read to you, or tell you all the silly thoughts that runs through my sizeable brain—"

"And you were doing so well, too," Rose teased, and he looked up at her sharply, realizing he'd started to ramble. "I miss you too. And I'm sorry…for what I said. You're not broken."

"No?"

"No," she said, shaking her head, and reaching up to touch his cheek lightly. "Maybe a little bent…some wires might be crossed…but you're definitely not broken." He held her gaze mutely, unsure what to say. She looked thoughtful for a second, then asked, "Doctor, why'd you keep the watch?"

"Um," he said, tearing his gaze away from hers to stare into the middle distance above her head. "Not exactly sure. Mostly, I think, because it was a part of you. We weren't…I mean, not that we are now…if you don't…" He trailed off and looked down at her before clearing his throat. "I just…felt better having it. Luck from my Fortuna," he added with a small smile, and she rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Never gonna let me forget that," she said with a smile. "Alright, I'll buy that. But…just so you know…we can be, if you just stop running. Because I love you…and I'm never gonna let you forget that."

He looked down at her for a moment, battling with himself and his demons. She loved him as he was…alright, she'd said and done everything to prove that…but what about all the things she still didn't know? The first blood, who he could become, who he _had_ become—

_No_. He stared the demons down, and sent them gibbering back into whatever corner they'd gone into hiding before, when things had been good. Right here, right now, she loved him, and that was all that mattered. Well, nearly.

"I love you, Rose Tyler," he said, reaching for her.

"Quite right, too," she said with a smile as she hung her arms loosely around his neck. He smiled as he leaned forward, bumping her nose with his before he claimed her mouth. He kissed her gently for a moment before he felt her nails against his scalp, unraveling some of his control quite quickly. He ran his tongue over the part in her lips, and sighed a little when she opened her mouth for him to deepen the kiss.

"It's about bloody time," came a voice in the console room, and Rose groaned against his lips. He chuckled as he gently broke the kiss and lifted his head, looking over at their companion.

"You must have radar or something," Rose said grumpily.

"You think I _like_ walking in on you two snogging six ways from Sunday all the time?" Martha asked. "Well, this time maybe. All better now?"

"Mmm…getting there, maybe," the Doctor said, glancing down at Rose. "Thank you, Martha."

"Yeah…you owe us, you know that?" she asked. "Me and the TARDIS. You two'd be lost without us."

"No doubt," Rose said with a grin. "Whatcha think, Doctor? Up for a little spa trip for the housemaid extraordinaire?"

"Oh, no…that's later," Martha said with a glint in her eye that the Doctor decided he didn't like at all. "'Cause I brought you breakfast every day for two months, _Mister Smith, _and served you both dinner…I think you should return the favor for at least a few days."

"You know, you could get that treatment at a decent spa, too," he reminded her uncomfortably.

"But then I wouldn't get the added bonus of watching you do it," she said with a grin. "Plus, I think the TARDIS is owed a little TLC as well…we should hang out here for a few days, keep her company."

"You got awfully chummy with the ship," Rose commented, eyebrow raised.

"She was the only one still sane," Martha said with a shrug. "What with you two feuding and not remembering each other and whatnot."

"Right," the Doctor said, staring at her while casting suspicious thoughts at his ship, who was still maintaining perfect, calm innocence…and he still didn't believe it.

"She may have a point, Doctor," Rose said, sounding a little sheepish.

"Oh, Rose, not you too!" he moaned.

"It'll be fine…a week in the TARDIS, making breakfast and dinner for Martha, hanging out in the Vortex…just a week of non-adventure time."

"Then we can go to the spa," Martha said with a triumphant smile.

The Doctor scrubbed a hand down his face and glanced between the two girls. "Yeah, alright, fine, you win," he said with a heavy sigh. "Remind me why I thought it was a good idea to allow myself to be outnumbered in my own ship?"

"Because you're a glutton for punishment," Rose said sweetly, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "But I do have to warn you…the meals part of this arrangement is going to be all you. It won't be pampering if all she gets is nondescript mush or black bricks. So you start dinner…I'll take care of entertainment."

She skipped over to Martha, happier than he'd seen her in a while, looping her arm through the other girl's and pulling her off to the corridor. He smiled after them for a moment before closing the doors and moving over to the console to pilot the ship back into the Vortex. He took one last glance at the Rose Galaxies on the monitor before spinning the ship away.

Definitely not the most beautiful Rose in the universe.


	41. Blink

_**And the one we've all been waiting for. This is, I think, going to be one of my longer story arcs, despite it being a Doctor-lite episode in the series. There's a...bunch of stuff. Yeah. Lots of shiny things that kept distracting me while I was writing the last story arc.**_

_**I MIGHT not be able to do weekend updates this weekend or next. I'll try, but I've got my sister's bachelorette party this weekend and her wedding next weekend, both of which will leave me fairly useless to the rest of society, so no promises. I'll still do the ones on Tuesday and Thursday, though, maybe even try to fit in an extra one to make up for it if I can, just because you're all so awesome. But yeah, just a warning so you don't freak out if I don't post anything again until next week.**_

* * *

"So now that our week of TARDIS TLC is over, spa vacation, right?" Martha asked as she leaned against the console.

"You know, there are so many interesting planets out there to explore," the Doctor grumbled. "Why you'd want to waste another several days at a spa when you could see the wonders of the universe is beyond me."

"Because she wants to see the wonders of the universe while sipping some equivalent of mai tais and being waited on and massaged by galactic cabana boys," Rose answered with a grin.

"Exactly," Martha said with a smile. "Besides, you promised."

"After this, we're square," he said sternly.

"Yes, sir," she said, snapping off a salute.

"Besides," Rose added, "a few days at a spa might be good for you, what with those headaches you've been getting."

"I'm _fine_, Rose," he assured her once again, looking down at the controls. "Right, here we are. _Eternal Healthitude_, some thousand light years and ten million years from anything you'll find on your earth, Martha Jones."

She let out an excited squeal and clapped her hands before racing for the door, dragging Rose out with her. The Doctor shook his head before shrugging into his heavy coat and following more slowly. A few days outside the TARDIS at a spa was the _last_ thing he needed for his headaches, but he wasn't about to explain that to either girl. Not yet, anyway.

"You know," Martha said, looking up at a sign as he stepped out of the ship and blinked in the sunlight. "I could be wrong, but doesn't look like a spa to _me_."

"Wester Drummlins," Rose read off the sign before looking back at the crumbling building behind the iron gate. "Terrible driving strikes again."

"Oi!" he cried indignantly. "My driving's fine. It's the universe that's…wonky." He paused, peering through the gate. "Not exactly welcoming, is it?"

"Bit like Scooby Doo's house if you ask me," Martha said.

"Definitely warrants a look around," the Doctor said thoughtfully as he stepped back, measuring the height of the gate.

"Ah, no, we're not gonna explore the haunted mansion," Rose groaned.

"Oh, come on," the Doctor said, turning to her excitedly. "Aren't you just the _least _bit curious about it? Hmm?"

He grinned at her, tucking his tongue just behind his front top teeth until she rolled her and groaned again as he gave a small chuckle from the back of his throat.

"Oh, you're kidding me," Martha said, glancing between them. "But the spa! Mai tais! Galactic cabana boys!"

"Come on," Rose said resignedly. "We're not going to get him to leave until he gets a look around. Faster we get in, faster we can get out and on with our lives."

"That's the adventurous spirit I so love about you, Rose Tyler," the Doctor said dryly.

"Yeah, whatever," she said, approaching the gate. "Gimme a boost."

The Doctor boosted both girls over the gate before hoisting himself up and over. He took Rose's hand as they moved through the overgrown garden, relishing in the fact that he was once again able to. The fear and the guilt weren't…gone…but they were a lot easier to put into the back of his mind by remembering some of the things she'd said to Martha, plus the happy sighs he got now when they once again cuddled together in the darkness of his bedroom, the loving looks he got from her again now that he wasn't actively trying to flee from her. Now if he could just find a way around the headaches.

They split up inside the house, once again driven by Rose's pragmatic stance on exploration. He wouldn't deny that he wasn't always quite as in control of his ship as he'd like, but he couldn't understand why she would have wanted to land _here_, of all places. He snooped around for a little while, but other than a fairly creepy feeling of being watched that was probably entirely due to Rose's comment about hauntings, he could find nothing amiss—not until Rose went missing.

He met Martha by the entrance again after about twenty minutes of light investigation, and they chatted for another five before he started to get restless. They moved off in the direction she'd gone, calling her name, and his concern grew exponentially for every minute she failed to answer. More worried that a piece of masonry had fallen and knocked her out than anything, he was looking up when Martha gasped and tugged on his arm. He looked down to see an angelic statue that sent shivers down his spine even before he caught sight of the key dangling from its hand by a length of twine.

"Right," he said slowly, his eyes trained on the angel while he cursed himself for not returning Rose's key sooner. "Martha, many things about this aren't good, and could, in fact, be very, very bad. Here's what I need you to do. First, I need you to take my hand and not let go, not for anything. Next, I need you to look around for anymore angels. If you see any, keep your eyes on them. Don't move, don't blink."

"But…but they're just statues," Martha said fearfully.

"Not nearly as true as I'd like," he said as she took his hand. "I'll explain later, I promise. But they need to not have that key, and _we_ need to get back to the TARDIS, immediately, if not sooner."

"But…where's Rose?" she asked.

"Not sure," he said as he reached out for the key. "But I _will_ find her."

His hand was on the key when a bang sounded somewhere else in the building. Martha jumped, dropping his hand in the process, and he turned automatically to grab her, realizing his mistake a fraction of a second too late.

oOoOo

Rose paced, picking her nails and considering her options. She'd landed in an alley when…whatever had happened…happened. After shaking off some of the disorientation, she'd made her way out onto the street and had gotten some…very odd looks from the people around her, but she was relieved to see that everyone at least _looked_ human, and the area seemed strangely familiar as well. She managed to snatch a newspaper and was relieved to find that she was in London, though not so thrilled that the date was June, 1969. Not good. That's when she'd retreated back to the alley she'd started in to try to formulate a plan. She didn't have many options. She had no money, no psychic paper, _still_ no sonic thingy…they hadn't been in this time before, either, so it wasn't like she could even look up someone they'd met before for help. Exactly zero of her training helped with this, because at least if something went bust with Torchwood, she always had the backup option of going to the local authorities and using them to get in touch with base. Now…she had nothing.

_What would the Doctor do_?

Jump around like a mad six year old who'd had too much cake, probably, talking about what a brilliant year it was before getting distracted by something shiny and starting off on some investigation or other. Also, he usually had the TARDIS…and psychic paper…and his blasted sonic screwdriver. Not a lot of help there.

She leaned back against a wall unhappily, trying to hold back panic. Chances were, the Doctor would somehow find her. She tried, with little success, to keep from thinking about what would happen if he didn't—even if she could, somehow, find a way to survive in some way beyond living in a cardboard box, it'd be almost forty years before she'd have a hope of running in to the Doctor again in the right part of his timeline. She'd still be alive, and she'd still look the same, but somehow, that did little to ease her mind.

She started when she heard a thump and a groan from further into the alley. She moved toward the sounds cautiously, and felt a surge of relief when she saw the Doctor and Martha getting to their feet gingerly.

"Rough landing," the Doctor said, rolling his shoulders as he stretched his neck.

"Doctor!" she called, and he spun around, immediately alert. She launched herself at him, burying her face in his shoulder when his arms wrapped tightly around her. He smoothed her hair and kissed the top of her head before pulling back slightly.

"You okay?" he asked, looking over her face quickly.

"Yeah," she said, glancing over his shoulder at Martha. "How about you two?"

"We're alright," he assured her. "Um…where are we?"

"London, 1969," she said, picking back up the paper she dropped and handing it to him.

"Really?" he asked, flashing a grin. "Oh, it's the year of the moon landing! That's brilliant! Martha, did you know that Rose and I—"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Focus, Doctor," she said, interrupting him with a wave of her hand.

"Right…yeah," he said, glancing down at the paper again. "1969…and no TARDIS. Still…better than it could be, all things considered."

"All what things considered?" Martha asked. "Doctor, what the hell just happened?"

He sucked in a breath. "The Weeping Angels happened. Come on, let's find somewhere to sit down that's less…dismal."

They ended up in a park amidst strolling couples and mums pushing prams, all of them giving the three travelers slightly odd looks but being roundly ignored as the Doctor explained the situation.

"The Weeping Angels," he said. "Incredibly old species, one of the oldest. Part of the reason they've managed to survive for so long is because they've developed this amazingly unique defense mechanism. They're quantum locked—they're alive so long as they're not seen, but the moment they are, they turn to stone. That's why they have their hands over their faces—they're not weeping, they can't risk catching sight of themselves or each other."

"Okay, that's…weird," Rose said. "But still doesn't explain 1969."

"Ah, yes," the Doctor said, glancing around. "That's what they do. They touch you, and you become temporally displaced, allowing them to feed off the remaining potential, all your moments that would've been. Basically, they send you back and let you live to death."

"That's classy," Martha said.

"Only species to kill you kindly," the Doctor said with a nod.

"Alright, but now we're stuck in 1969," Rose pointed out. "And while living to death might not be the _biggest_ threat ever—to you and I, at least—there's still got to be something we can do."

"Oh, I'll…figure something out," he said, sounding confident and care-free, but a quick glance he shot at Rose told her this was at least partially an act to reassure Martha. "But…it might take a few days. Maybe a week. Two, tops."

"So we're stuck here," Martha said flatly.

"For now," Rose said. "But, like he said, could be worse."

"How?" Martha demanded.

"Well…we could have ended up in three separate centuries, for starters," Rose said reasonably. "We're together, and that psychic paper could go a long way to getting us somewhere to stay while the Doctor sorts all this out."

"Absolutely," the Doctor said. "Not a lot of cash points in 1969. Shame, that. Still, should be a way to convince someone to part with some funds."

"You're going to rob a bank," Martha said in disbelief.

"Of course not!" the Doctor said indignantly. "I'm merely to withdraw funds from my account."

"Will your account exist _before_ you get to the bank?"

"Not…as such," he admitted.

"Right, I want no part of this," she said, holding up a hand as the other two opened their mouths to protest. "I realize that right at this moment, we have no other real options, so I'm not going to try to stop you, but if we're going to be here for up to a couple of weeks, I'm looking for a job."

"That…actually might not be a bad idea," Rose said slowly, chewing on a nail thoughtfully. "If we're going to be here any decent length of time, your way might get suspicious."

The Doctor hesitated, then let out his breath in a whoosh as he looked around again. "Point made. Alright, you two pound the pavement for a while. I'll go sort out some starting funds and a place to stay. Meet back here in…oh…three hours?"

"Sounds good," Rose said as all three stood. "Just…be careful. Don't get arrested or anything."

"Rose Tyler, I would never," he said with a grin as he pulled her in for a quick kiss. He released her quickly and reached over to squeeze Martha's arm affectionately. "You two watch out for each other."

The nodded and he turned, striding off toward a bank they'd spotted a block away. Martha and Rose quickly decided to stick together, at least for today…if nothing panned out, then they could try splitting up the following day. It wasn't long before they realized that progress was not going to be made easily while they still looked and dressed like they were in 2007. After they spent some time bemoaning the loss of the TARDIS Wardrobe, Martha grudgingly admitted that having some money to fit into the era would be helpful. They wandered for a little while after that, stopping in a couple of shops to acquaint themselves with the current fashion, before heading back to the park to meet up with the Doctor, who was looking extremely pleased with himself. His good mood wasn't the least bit swayed when they explained about their need for new clothes, reasoning that this would have come up soon anyway, given that none of them had a change of clothes with them, before revealing that he'd already planned for just such an eventuality when he'd gone to procure funds.

"So that went alright, then?" Rose asked.

"Oh yes," he said with a grin. "The bank manager was _extremely _apologetic about the clerical error that had somehow caused my account to vanish from the books."

"I'm sure," she said with a smirk. "Did you manage to find us somewhere to stay as well, or did all that schmoozing sap your energy?"

"I did, thank you," he said. "And I'll have you know, Rose Tyler, that I do not 'schmooze'…I charmingly persuade."

"Riiiight," she said, drawing out the word with a laugh.

"Careful," he warned. "Any more cheek from you, and I might not let you into _my _new flat."

She made a face at him, which he returned immediately, and Martha sighed loudly.

"While I'm thrilled that you two are all…nauseatingly mushtastic again," she said, "we do have some other priorities."

"Right you are," the Doctor said, switching gears with ease. "What do you think? Flat first, or shopping?"

"Shopping, I think," Rose said, exchanging a look with Martha. "Once we get to the flat, I doubt I'm going to want to go out anywhere again until tomorrow."

"Right then," he said, hailing a cab and opening the door for them as it pulled up to the curb. "Ladies, your chariot awaits."

oOoOo

Several hours later, the trio was sprawled around the living room of the admittedly very nice flat, munching on Chinese food out of cartons and discussing their predicament.

"I still can't believe we're stuck somewhere _again_," Martha grumbled, stabbing at her food with her chop sticks.

"Not so bad," Rose said. "For one, it's not a provincial back corner of 1913, it's London in the Sixties. Two, you're not a housemaid waiting on us hand and foot. Four—"

"Three," the Doctor mumbled around a mouthful of chicken.

"Right, three," she continued smoothly, "we know you're one of our very best friends. And four…you got some _really_ great clothes."

"That's true," Martha said reluctantly. "Thanks, Doctor."

"Yeah, really," Rose said. "You didn't have to stay with us. Thank you."

"No need," he said honestly, eyeing the way Rose's long legs extended from beneath her short skirt to her tall boots, silently thanking Nancy Sinatra for being the fashion icon that she was. "It…it was my pleasure."

"What about you?" Martha asked suddenly, and he looked at her blankly.

"What _about_ me?"

"Were you in London around 1969?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," he said. "Out there somewhere, with Bessie…but we can't do that."

"Why not?" she asked.

"What, you mean apart from the fact that it breaks a whole slew of rules about time travel?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, apart from that," she said. "Desperate times, Doctor."

He sighed. "I tend not to get along with myself. Also…he couldn't help us."

"_Why not_?"

"Because he's grounded," Rose said, watching the Doctor. "He's in exile, isn't he?"

"Yeah," he said, picking moodily at his food.

"What?" Martha asked, glancing between them.

"Long story," he said with a sigh as he put the carton down. "Basically, I managed to annoy all the wrong people back home, and they…took certain pieces of knowledge from me that were necessary for flying the TARDIS, so I got stuck here for…a while."

"Longer than we will be?" Rose asked carefully.

"Blimey, I hope so," he said with feeling. "This isn't an era I'd particularly like to relive, _especially_ if I have to avoid all the fun stuff just because I'm already there."

"The curse of the Time Lord," Rose said dramatically, and he arched an eyebrow at her. "Nevermind. Hey, what about that folder?"

"The folder?" he asked, looking at her blankly for a moment before realization dawned. "The folder! Of course!"

"Folder?" Martha asked as the Doctor stood and began emptying out his impossibly large pockets.

"That girl we met…uh…few months ago. Sally…Sally…what was it? Something with a bird. Sparrow! Sally Sparrow! She warned me that we'd—or at least I'd—get stuck in 1969, which somehow involved her, and she gave me a folder—ha!" He pulled said folder out finally, holding it up triumphantly. "_Apparently_ containing everything I need to know about how to get back."

"And you've…what, just been carrying it around with you this whole time?" Martha asked.

"Yeah," he said, giving her a look that plainly said that this should have been obvious.

"Right," she said. "Yeah. Course you have. On that note, I'm off to bed. You two have fun sorting all that out," she added, waiving at the folder contents that the Doctor was currently emptying out onto a clear space on the floor.

"Will do, Martha, thanks," he said distractedly, not looking up. "G'night."

He was vaguely aware of some conversation between the girls regarding leaving in the morning before Martha finally took her leave. Rose went through the room cleaning up the various dinner cartons before kneeling beside him and peering at the various items in front of him.

"What's this?" she asked, picking up something at random and examining it more closely. "A transcript?"

He looked up at her quickly, dropping the photo he'd been holding to snatch the papers away from her. All he needed was for her to see mention of them being married, with their relationship still on such shaky grounds. He wasn't even sure how he was going to manage keeping _that_ together for an extended period of time without the TARDIS' help. He just couldn't deal with all the…_lady wife_…stuff right now as well.

"It's nothing," he said as she stared at him. "Nothing to worry about. Right now, I mean. We'll deal with that…later."

"Okay…" she said slowly, giving him an odd look, and he dropped his gaze. "Right. Well, I should probably get some sleep too." She was quiet for a moment. "I know you want to look at all this, sort it all out, but…do you think you could stay with me, just til I fall asleep?"

He looked up at her again, and saw the fear and uncertainty that she'd been holding at bay for his and Martha's sake. That did it for him. Whatever it might cost him, he couldn't leave her alone when she was scared. Not anymore. Not while he still had a choice. As long as he just held her until she fell asleep, it shouldn't be too bad, anyway.

"Yeah," he said finally. "Go ahead and get ready, I'll be there in just a moment."

She smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek before getting to her feet and making her way to the second bedroom. He stalled for as long as he could, and was glad to find her already curled up in bed when he finally entered the room. He toed off his trainers and pulled off his jacket, loosening his tie as he crawled onto the hard mattress behind her. She laced her fingers through his as he put his arm around her, twisting a little to look up at him. He hesitated for only a second before leaning down to kiss her softly, trying to ignore the tightening at the base of his skull that started far sooner than he'd like as she sought to deepen the kiss. He allowed it for a moment before pulling away gently with a smile.

"You should sleep, love," he whispered.

"Mmm…yeah…but not sleeping is so much more fun," she said, but then yawned, making him chuckle lightly. She let out a small groan before turning again, pulling his arm with her so that he was forced to lay down with her back tight against his chest. He nuzzled her hair, making a happy sound in the back of his throat, and she sighed contentedly.

Her body relaxed and her breathing evened out just as his head began to throb, and he moved carefully to avoid waking her again. He stepped silently out of the room, hating the way the pain started to ease as soon as he was away from her. The TARDIS had warned him, told him to talk to her, but he just couldn't. Not yet.

One thing was absolutely certain: he needed to figure out a way to get them out of 1969 as soon as possible.


	42. Social Life

_**Hooray, new chapter...finally! Sorry I couldn't get one up over the weekend...I was in recovery mode the whole time. Bachelorette parties...yeah. Still working on getting my voice back. Anyway...here's this. A little more of the Doctor being the Doctor and avoiding his problems if at all possible. Yay!**_

* * *

The girls both managed to find jobs within a couple of days of landing in 1969, and quickly established a routine, even going so far as to befriend the neighbor downstairs. Before they knew it, two weeks had gone by…and the Doctor was reaching the end of his rope. The folder had proven to be a bigger puzzle than he'd originally thought. Beyond a little light vandalism at Wester Drummlins and the sacrifice of the toaster and a cheap tape recorder to their higher calling as a timey wimey detector—and accidental egg boiler—he'd gotten nothing accomplished. He still had to sort out how to make an autocue and digital recorder in an era where color pictures were still something to get excited about, as well as getting a hold of this Billy bloke, on whom quite a lot seemed to depend. Beside all that, the headaches had gotten exponentially worse, and the girls were starting to watch him warily. He'd started taking long walks at night after they'd gotten home, sweeping the city in a grid with the detector, but he knew it wouldn't be long before those worryingly perceptive females saw his insistence on doing this alone as the avoidance technique that it was. He also knew that despite being fairly cheerful, Martha was getting frustrated with yet another exile out of her time without any adventures, and Rose was getting concerned about the fact that he hadn't slept at all, probably attributing the headaches to that. And he was quickly sinking into a depression at the realization that he was disappointing and failing both of them, but without any clear idea yet how to remedy things.

Sixteen days after being sent back, the Doctor was sitting at the kitchen counter, rubbing his sore eyes with one hand and holding his specs with the other, his irritation with himself and the situation mounting. He sighed when he heard the girls' voices coming up the stairs, debating whether to try to avoid them or to suffer in silence. They burst through the door, laughing and chatting, and quickly announced that they had made the decision for him.

"We're going out," Rose said, and he tried not to wince as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him quickly.

"Jamie invited us out with him and his parents," Martha explained.

"Jamie?" he asked blankly, his arm around Rose's waist as he stubbornly ignored the growing pressure in his head.

"Our neighbor," Rose reminded him. "You know, tall, trim, blonde…you met him a few days ago."

"Oh…the pretty one," he said, pulling a face.

"That almost sounded Northern," Rose teased, and he rolled his eyes. "And I wouldn't be so quick to look down on it…you're not exactly hard on the eyes yourself. Anyway, get ready; we're leaving in twenty minutes."

"No, Rose, I've really got work to do—"

"Work that isn't going anywhere," she said as she pulled him out of his chair. "Come on. I know you're getting frustrated…take a night off, look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow. Maybe you'll find something you missed."

"Eh…alright, fine," he said reluctantly as she pushed him into the bedroom. "One night. Where are we going anyway?"

"Dunno," she said with a shrug. "Dinner, maybe dancing. You know, that thing that humans like to refer to as having a social life."

He pulled a face and continued to grumble as he pulled on his jacket and tie, having kept his suit in pristine condition through careful use of the sonic, his only allowance into the need for extra clothes consisting of shirts and ties. She stepped closer to straighten his tie before pulling him down for a hard kiss, and he groaned, though he couldn't decide whether this was from the pleasure or pain as he pulled her close and surprised her by plunging his tongue into her mouth, desperate to taste her. He pulled back when his head began to throb, a reminder of why he hadn't done that much in the last couple of weeks, but he couldn't regret it either. The taste of Rose was worth any torment he had to endure. Including dinner and dancing with virtual strangers, apparently.

Their friendly neighbor was waiting for them when they made their way downstairs, all charm and smiles as he greeted the girls…he almost reminded the Doctor of a blonde Jack, in a way that was completely unnerving. Something about the man made his senses tingle, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

"Jamie, right?" the Doctor asked as the other man hailed a cab.

"Yep, that's me," he said with an easy smile as he held out his hand. "Jamie Sinclair. And you're the absent-minded John Smith that has this one all but snatched up," he added with a nod at Rose.

"Yes, well…" the Doctor trailed off uncomfortably, tugging at his ear and feeling a sudden hatred for the oft used alias.

"Ah, no worries…at least you left something for rest of the male society," he said with a wink at Martha, and the Doctor was stunned to see her giggle and swat at his arm playfully.

"He's harmless," Rose whispered as the Doctor pulled her closer to his side with a frown.

"What makes you so sure?" he asked suspiciously as Jamie held the door open for Martha dramatic bow.

"Well, for a start, he's far more interested in you than either of us," Rose said, and he looked down at her sharply to see her grinning up at him. "You're the whole reason he started talking to us."

"What, why?" he demanded.

"Single man in a flat with two single women in 1969," she said. "It's not really 'done', is it? Unless, of course, there's absolutely no fear of…consequences…"

"What?" he asked, confused. "What consequences? Surely…oh. _Oh!"_

"There it is," she said with a laugh as realization dawned.

"When you two are done enjoying the scenery outside your own flat, there's a cab waiting for you," Jamie called, and the Doctor exchanged another look with Rose before rolling his eyes and heading for the cab.

oOoOo

"And _then_ I realized he'd stolen my trousers as well!" Jamie finished off his story with a shake of his head, and both girls let out peals of laughter. Even the Doctor smirked as he rolled his eyes. Jamie's resemblance to the captain had only grown as he told outrageous stories in the cab that had continued when they'd gotten to the restaurant before his parents had arrived. They were currently sitting at the bar and sipping cocktails while they waited for the rest of the party, chatting happily. The Doctor had loosened up some after knocking back a gin and tonic that had done some measure to ease his headache, enough that he could at least run a hand over Rose's neck or put his arm around her shoulders easily, and he was in much better spirits for it.

"So tell me, you three with no past…where is it you come from?" Jamie asked suddenly but without malice. "There must be some story there."

"Oh, we just travel," Rose said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Probably nothing of interest to you."

"Oh, but you must have seen some amazing things," he persisted. "Give me some clue. How about just some countries you've been to?"

"Well…there was New York," Martha offered slowly.

"There was that mess with the bulls in Spain," the Doctor added thoughtfully.

"Oh, and we were in Japan a few years ago," Rose piped up.

"And didn't you say something about France?" Martha asked, and the Doctor groaned.

"Please…don't…don't mention France," he muttered as Rose rolled her eyes. "Just…don't."

"See, I knew there was a story somewhere," Jamie said with a triumphant grin. "Come on, inquiring minds want to know."

"It was a…misunderstanding," Rose said slowly, then smirked. "Involving a courtesan and a horse."

"Oh, you're such a tease," Jamie pouted, and the Doctor chuckled as Rose gave her very best tongue in teeth grin.

"_Rose?"_ came a shocked voice near the entrance to the restaurant, and both the Doctor and Rose turned quickly in surprise, which quickly escalated to full astonishment when they took in the tiny brunette staring at them.

"Do you know each other?" Jamie asked with a frown.

"Jamie Sinclair!" the woman said. "This is _Rose_. The one who helped with your…problem."

Jamie continued to looked confused for a moment, then whipped around to look at Rose again more carefully.

"Nancy!" the Doctor said happily. "And Jamie, of course! All grown up. Said he'd be a fine lad, didn't I? Oh, what do you think of pop music?"

"I'm sorry, sir," Nancy said, tearing her eyes away from Rose to look at the Doctor. "But who are you? And how do you know all that?"

"Oh…he…he's the Doctor," Rose said, sounding a little breathless. "It's a…long story. But that's him. But…oh, Nancy!" She finally seemed to get a hold of herself, and stepped forward quickly to give the now older woman a tight hug. "I did tell you, didn't I?"

"You said we'd win," Nancy said, looking almost tearful.

"And you did," the Doctor said with a smile as he stood, stepping closer slowly. "The damp little island that said 'no'."

"Doctor?" Nancy said uncertainly, evidently relating this to some other conversation they'd had.

"Hello, Nancy," he said warmly, and pulled her into an embrace.

"But…I don't understand," Jamie said, staring at them. "That…that was almost thirty years ago! I was _four_!"

"Well, they did say they travel quite a bit," Martha reminded him, swirling around the contents of her cocktail. "Sorry, hi, Martha Jones."

"Oh, Martha," the Doctor said. "This is—"

"Nancy, I assume," she said with a grin as she held out her hand. "And this is…?" she asked, looking a little behind Nancy to the tall, silver haired man standing behind her with a bemused smile.

"Oh, my husband, Andrew Sinclair," Nancy said quickly.

"Pleased to meet you," the man said in a pleasant baritone, shaking each of their hands in turn. "I've heard…quite a lot about you."

"Sir, if your party is ready…" the maître d interjected pointedly.

"Er…yes," Jamie said, attempting to regain some of his composure. "Um…shall we?"

Once they were seated, they told the story of the Blitz for Martha, including some of the more technical details about the nanogenes that Nancy had never fully understood, mostly because she had just been so happy to have her little boy back, she hadn't really cared as much about the how other than that it had had something to do with superior genetics. Andrew, also a doctor, was fascinated with the entire concept of nanogenes, and had pulled every detail he could from the Doctor before he related how he'd met Nancy and Jamie shortly after the incident when he'd started working for Doctor Constantine, who had remained a close family friend until his death in 1950. Jamie also explained how this event had influenced his chosen profession of science fiction writer; his first novel had, in fact, been a loose adaptation of that factual experience. He was fascinated when they explained how they'd come to be stranded in 1969, and had begged the Doctor for an afternoon to pick his brain about all the strange creatures he'd encountered and amazing adventures he'd had. Rose had laughingly remarked that if the Doctor had gotten royalties from every author he'd influenced over the years, he'd probably be the richest man in the universe, which made Jamie and Nancy, both avid readers, burn with curiosity again, just before the band struck up in earnest. The Doctor was relieved when this managed to distract everyone…as much as he enjoyed being the most brilliant person in the room, being the center of this sort of attention always made him a little uneasy. Jamie pulled Martha out of her seat immediately, and Andrew coaxed a reluctant Nancy onto the dance floor as well, leaving the Doctor and Rose at the table alone for a moment.

"So..." Rose said, scooting her chair a little closer to him. "Jamie and Nancy."

"Jamie and Nancy," he said with a smile as he signaled for another drink.

"You alright, Doctor?" she asked, frowning.

"Sure," he said. "Fine. Why?"

"Just…don't usually see you drink this much, that's all," she said with a shrug.

"My night off," he reminded her, and she arched an eyebrow at him. "Rose, we've been here three hours, and I've had four drinks. That hardly warrants concern, even ignoring superior biology. I'm not going to get drunk and…and start a brawl or anything."

"God, that would be a sight," she said with a laugh. "God forbid anyone get you in a headlock and mess up your hair."

"Oi!" he said. "I'm not _that_ vain. But anyway. It is nice to see them, all grown up and…happy."

"Hmm, yeah," Rose said, watching the dancing couples and leaning back against him as he put his arm around her. "Guess going back doesn't always have to be all bad, does it?"

"Never miss an opportunity to fix some dented aspect of my psyche, do you?" he asked with a smirk.

"Nope," she said with a grin, and he kissed her forehead lightly.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as his drink arrived, and he sipped at it cautiously. He had, in all actuality, had at least twice the number of drinks that Rose was aware of, because his body burned through alcohol so quickly. He wasn't worried about getting drunk—only hypervodka had managed that, and only after quite a lot—but keeping a steady flow dulled both the mental and subsequent physical pain he'd been in for weeks, and he was enjoying it immensely. He hated coming back to Rose only to start walling himself off again; this at least allowed him enough relief to hold her for a little while. Becoming a raging alcoholic just to be close to her wasn't an option, obviously—even aside from the clear problems with that, it probably wouldn't even work long, given the rate of escalation with his…issues—but he could at least have tonight.

Andrew and Nancy came back to the table as one song melted into another.

"Rose, would you honor me with a dance?" Andrew asked with a wide smile as Nancy sat down across from the Doctor.

"I…yeah, sure," she replied happily, leaning up to kiss the Doctor's cheek before standing.

"I hope you don't mind me stealing her away, Doctor," Andrew added as he took her hand.

"You do plan on giving her back at some point, right?" he asked with a smirk. "Tell you what, I'll hold onto your wife as collateral."

"Deal," Andrew said with a laugh as he led Rose out onto the dance floor.

"He's a good man," the Doctor remarked, watching the other man take Rose into his arms while keeping a respectful distance and making her laugh about something.

"Yeah, he is," Nancy agreed. "He never doubted Doctor Constantine and I about our story, and he loved me even with my…baggage and scars. Even took Jamie as his own, and never minded that we weren't able to have any of our own."

"And you two don't mind?" he asked, glancing at her. "Jamie being…"

"Jamie?" Nancy asked, then shook her head. "I almost lost him once…I _did_ lose him. I'm not going to risk driving him away now just because he loves a little differently."

"That's very progressive of you, Nancy," he said with a smile. "And reasonable. I'm happy for you, all of you."

"Sometimes, everybody lives," she said, and he chuckled weakly. "What about you? You and Rose seem…much closer now."

"Yeah," he said, then sighed. "Yeah. It's…complicated, though."

"Do you love her?" she asked bluntly.

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

"Does she love you?"

He watched Rose spin around the dance floor, and look over Andrew's shoulder to wink at him before turning her attention back to her partner, making him smile softly. "Yeah, I think she does."

"Then it's not that complicated," Nancy said, and he looked at her curiously. "Anything else is just…details. Work it out. You're happier now than you were before, and I think a lot of that has to do with her."

"A lot of people have told me that or something similar recently," he said, letting out a breath and scratching the back of his head.

"Then maybe you should start listening," she suggested, and he gave a small laugh before the rest of the party once again descended on the table as the song ended.

oOoOo

Several hours later, the traveling trio made it up to their flat in fits of laughter after putting Jamie to bed in his. At some point, he'd decided to try to keep up with the Doctor in drinks without telling anyone else that this was the plan, so they hadn't been able to warn him what a terrible idea it was. He was already stumbling when they realized what had happened, but thankfully Andrew and Nancy were smiling when they'd helped pour him into a cab. They promised to have dinner with the couple at least once more before they left for good, whenever that happened to be, and rode back to their flat, Jamie singing Danny Boy at the top of his voice and giggling his way through terrible limericks. Once they'd staggered into his flat, he'd lunged forward and kissed Martha soundly before thanking her for being a fabulous dance partner, then kissed the Doctor, who had been entirely too surprised to stop him, promising to be around if things didn't work out with Rose. Then he'd turned to Rose and swore that he meant no offense by that, and that she was an amazing girl and shouldn't be left out before attempting to kiss her as well, but the Doctor had had enough, pulling him by the arm and leading him to his bedroom while the girls giggled. He'd reappeared a moment later, shaking his head and swearing that Jamie had been snoring before he'd even hit the mattress.

Rose and Martha stayed up a little longer when they were in their own flat, both happy in the knowledge that they were off work the following day. Martha finally departed when yawns started punctuating every other word, and Rose retreated to her bedroom soon after to read, warning the Doctor that he was under orders to sleep that night.

Hours later, the Doctor had once again immersed himself in work, and was staring at three different lists that he'd compiled while figuring out how to make the video he needed to for the DVD easter egg: one for things readily available, one for components that didn't necessarily exist to the general public, but he could make with things that were, and one for things he could easily make _if_ he had his TARDIS workrooms at his disposal. The last one was worryingly long. He rubbed his eyes beneath his specs, but looked up quickly when he felt the papers pulled gently from his hand.

"You were supposed to come to bed," Rose said, but without a lot of real admonishment, so he just sighed.

"I dunno what I'm gonna do, Rose," he said quietly. "I mean…there's got to be a way…I already did it, theoretically…but short of breaking into a TV studio and hijacking their equipment, it's just not coming to me."

"What happened to fresh eyes tomorrow?" she asked. He shrugged, and she moved closer, straddling his lap and making him suck in a breath. "You know what I think?"

"What's that?" he asked, his hands resting lightly on her thighs, wishing to every deity he knew of that he still had enough alcohol in his system to not be in complete mental agony at the touch, leading to the already irritating amount of pain at the base of his skull.

"I think," she said, leaning down and kissing his neck as he closed his eyes and fought the pain, "that all work and no play have made you a dull Doctor…and you're not going to get anything done that way."

"Do you?" he choked out.

"Mmhmm," she said before kissing him deeply. He groaned, his hands rising to her hips as his tongue battled for domination with hers, angrily fighting against the throbbing pain in his head. She ground her hips against his once, twice—and then he pulled back with a small hiss, the pain in his head becoming white hot. "Doctor?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

"I'm…I'm fine," he gasped. "I just…can't. I'm sorry."

"Another headache?" she asked, frowning and reaching up to massage his temples, but he reached up with lightning speed to grasp her wrists before she managed it. His mind felt like it was on fire…he didn't even want to think what would happen if she touched that sensitive spot, telepath or not.

"Don't…don't do that," he said quietly while she stared at him in astonishment. "It's…I'm fine. Yeah, headache, but it's alright. I just…I just need sleep," he said, releasing her hands to push at her waist slightly until she stood. "Go on to bed, I'll be there in just a moment. I promise."

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do for you?" she asked, looking at him a little suspiciously.

"Absolutely sure," he said. "Thank you, but really, I'm fine. Just give me a minute."

She chewed her lip for a moment, studying him, then nodded, leaning down to kiss his forehead before heading off for the bedroom again. He waited until he heard the door click closed before he groaned, taking off his specs and throwing them on the table in front of him and dropping his aching head into his hands. He couldn't do this much longer. He couldn't keep pretending it was fine, but the idea of hurting her again tore at him.

"It's Rose, isn't it?" a voice said close by, and his head jerked up in surprise to see Martha just a few feet away, watching him carefully. "She's what's causing your headaches."

"Yeah," he said, his voice breaking slightly as he lost all ability to lie about it. "It's not her fault, though."

"But it's getting worse," Martha said, and he nodded. "Doctor, what are you gonna do?"

He ran a hand over his face hopelessly. "I don't know."


	43. Confrontations

_**Alright, extra chapter this week being posted WHILE I'm in class because...well, because this is a mind-numbingly boring class, to be honest, but that doesn't mean that this'll happen all the time. This is more a thank you for your patience during this uber chaotic couple of weeks, as well as a HUGE thank you for getting to the ridiculous milestone of a thousand reviews. You guys rock me world.**_

_**I'm also pretty sure that if I posted this chapter tomorrow and left you all til next week, you'd be...unhappy. The next chapter is slightly more satisfying, I think, and should carry you through til next Tuesday better than this one probably would.**_

_**Also, to avoid any confusion, I changed the chapter titles for this arc, because it's going to be fairly long, at least as long as the whole Family arc, and I wanted something a little more inventive and less redundant than "Blink Part X". So there's that. Off we go!**_

* * *

Martha made some tea while the Doctor sat at the kitchen counter, rubbing his head gently as the ache eased slightly. It never totally went away anymore, at least not if Rose was anywhere in the vicinity, though he explained to Martha that he could keep this to a minimum if he could manage to avoid touching her, although that was next to impossible in this tactile body. The closest he ever got to complete peace was when she was at work or when he took off to sweep the town with his timey wimey detector.

"But why?" Martha asked as she set a mug down in front of him and sat down next to him with one of her own. "What's causing it?"

"It's…Time Lords are telepathic," he explained. "We can…could…transfer a lot with just a touch. But one of the things that…happened…married people could claim their spouses as mates and bond with them telepathically, creating this permanent mental link with each other that went above and beyond what we all had between each other."

"What you…you mean you could feel them _all_ your head?" Martha asked, momentarily sidetracked.

"Yes, all the time, everyone, but now they're gone, so let's try to stay on topic, hmm?" he said irritably.

"Sorry," she said, a little snarkily, then relaxed. "What do you mean they _could_ do this? They didn't always?"

He shook his head. "Marriages were arranged. It was political and…genetic manipulation. It had very little to do with any real emotions. Bonding was sort of an optional perk in those situations."

"But then what's causing your headaches?" she asked.

"Well…" He trailed off, one hand going behind his head while he leaned on the forearm of his other arm. "I'd seen a couple of love matches…people who married not because of political gain, but were genuinely in love. It was…rare. We were _supposedly_ above all that," he added with a snort.

"Well, now I know where the arrogance comes from," Martha said with a grin. "It's a species thing."

He smiled a little an arched an eyebrow. "Rose said something remarkably similar once. Anyway, I guess when there's that sort of attachment, bonding is less an option than a…compulsion, a need. I've never seen anyone try to avoid it, so I didn't know…I didn't know it would be like this." He paused. "It didn't used to be. Back when we first…were together, it was just sort of a mental irritation, sort of like a bad craving for a particular food, maybe a little worse. But it was manageable. It didn't take long for it to start hurting, but again, it wasn't so bad at first, and it was only really bad when we were…intimate, and it was only mental. Which makes me sound completely barmy, now that I put it into words, but there it is."

"When did the headaches start?" she asked, sounding very much like the doctor she had been in training to be.

"When we got back together after the Family," he said, wincing. "It was…bad. I guess it was just escalation, but I hadn't expected it. I ended up begging the TARDIS for help. She wasn't happy, demanded that I talk to Rose, but…I just couldn't, not so soon after everything else. And apparently, a Time Lord pleading with a spaceship for help is a pitiful thing indeed, so she finally relented. She was able to use my connection with her to offset the compulsion a little, so the headaches came, but they weren't as bad as they would have been without her. I didn't even realize how bad it had gotten until we got stranded."

"And now it's really bad," Martha said, and he nodded. "But…if it's so painful, why can't you just…dunno, bond with her or whatever?"

He sucked in a breath. "Because that was something telepaths did with each other. There's a few species that could possibly sustain a bond like that without being telepathic themselves, but humans aren't among them. At best, it wouldn't work…at worst, my mind would burn hers, driving her insane before killing her."

"That's…bad," Martha said. "Let me guess, you don't know which would happen until you tried?" He shrugged and shook his head. "Right. But, hold on, Rose isn't human."

"She is mostly," he said. "All her changes are biological. She has a longer lifespan, and you've seen how resilient she is and how fast she heals. But that's the extent of it."

"Seriously, that one cut should've needed stitches," she said, getting distracted again. "Two days and some butterfly bandages and she's good as new. Anyway, are you sure?"

"About what?"

"That it's all just biological?" she asked. "I mean, she doesn't really…act human all the time. Like how she felt that energy with the Carrionites, and the whole 'recreational mathematics' thing. Are you telling me she was always Rose Tyler, super genius?"

"No…" he said slowly. "She…but…" He trailed off, once again thinking of the incident at the hospital on New Earth. That hadn't been long after Satellite Five. It had bugged him off and on for a year, but then when he'd found out what she'd done, he'd brushed it off.

"You've thought about it before," Martha suddenly accused, narrowing her eyes at him. "You're not sure, are you?"

"I…it doesn't matter," he said quickly.

"Yes, it does!" she cried, and he shushed her quickly as they both looked fearfully down the hall for a moment for some sign that Rose had heard her. "But Doctor, if it's a possibility, isn't there some way that you can…dunno, test her to find out?"

"Martha…it's not as simple as that," he said, scrubbing a hand down his face. "The thing is…" he made an irritated noise. "Even if she could, it could end horribly. You don't understand. She might know me better than anyone else in the universe, but she still doesn't know…a lot of things. A lot of terrible things. And in that moment, when that bond is created, she'd see _everything_, everything that makes me…me. Every horrible thing I've done or seen. She might hate me. I wouldn't blame her. But after that…it's a permanent bond, Martha. She couldn't ever get rid of it. She'd be tied to me forever, someone she couldn't stand to be around."

"Wow, your lot put a whole new meaning to 'til death do us part'," she murmured.

"Suppose so," he mumbled unhappily.

"So…you don't want this bond thing with her because you're afraid that once she sees everything else, she'll hate you, but she won't be able to leave." He nodded glumly. "Doctor, you know you're my very best friend, apart from Rose, yeah?"

"Yeah…" he said slowly, arching an eyebrow.

"And I think the world of you, and respect you and your brilliance a lot, right?" she asked, and he nodded, confused. "Then please know that I do this with all due respect."

_Smack!_

"Ow!" the Doctor cried, rubbing the back of his head where Martha had smacked him hard. "What was that for?"

"Because you're an idiot!" she said. "God, what is she gonna have to do to make you believe she's not going anywhere? Tattoo your name on her forehead?"

"Martha—"

"No, I listened, now it's your turn," she snapped. "She knows a lot about you, yeah? Are you going to sit there and tell me that everything she knows about you is all sunshine and daisies?"

"Well…no, but—"

"Exactly, no," she persisted. "She knows about the War, the one even I've heard you yell about sometimes in your sleep. She knows how you survived it, something so bad you haven't even told me after nearly a _year_ with you two. She said she knows that you feel guilty about things you've done, whether they were mistakes you made or things you were forced to do. She knows about the people you've lost. She loves you anyway. She loves you _because_ of those things, because they made you who you are now, the one who'll stop at nothing to save her and anyone else you can, all the time. And even after you've pushed her away, even after you _broke her heart_, she's still here, because she believes in you. You say you believe in her, _prove it_." She paused while he stared at her, dumbstruck. "I know you want it, even besides whatever…compulsion has you in pain, because John did too. He was brave enough to get it, and he was human, and didn't even have any real assurance that she'd say yes. You're a Time Lord with a woman who loves you enough to risk ripping apart the universe to get back to you. You're so brave when you're facing down monsters and demons and psychopaths…be brave with her. Let her surprise you again."

"But…I…I still can't be sure whether she can handle it," he said. "If she can't—"

"Then she still deserves to know," she said. "It might hurt, but not nearly as much as you pulling away again without telling her why. Because eventually, that's what you're going to have to do if she can't do it. You can't keep doing this." She paused again while he looked at her, his emotions in turmoil. "Tell her, Doctor…or I will."

He stared at her, swallowing hard. "Please," he whispered.

"No," she said. "She's done too much to be shoved off like this. She deserves better, and you know it. She deserves you."

"What if—"

"Rose is never going to hate you, Doctor," she said, gentler now. "Not ever. As long as you're honest with her."

He looked at her for another moment, then looked down the hall toward Rose's bedroom, scrubbing his hand over his mouth and jaw. He was more terrified than he'd been for as long as he could remember of the tiny blonde in the bedroom, the one who could make his world beautiful or tear it apart with a word. He'd never even put himself in this position with his own _wife_, even though they'd cared deeply about each other in the end…they'd just never felt the need for anything else, definitely never a compulsion like this. He was setting himself up to be more vulnerable with Rose than he'd ever willingly been with anyone.

But she'd come back and relived two years without any real assurance that he'd let her stay after he found out what she'd done, even if she succeeded. She'd gone through nightmare situations with him over and over, some of them more than once, because she loved him. She'd given him everything she thought she could.

And if it _did_ work…and if she stayed…he couldn't help shivering at the thought.

He glanced at Martha again, and she gave him an encouraging smile. He sucked in a breath and mustered every ounce of courage he had as he stood, letting it out with a whoosh as he faced the hallway. He had to tell her. She should at least know what was going on.

Every nerve was twanging with tension as he walked down the hall and stepped into the dark bedroom. She'd managed to fall asleep since leaving him alone, and he sat down on the mattress and watched her for a moment before reaching forward brushing aside the hair that had fallen over her face and running the knuckles of two fingers lightly over her cheek.

"Doctor," she murmured, still asleep, and his hearts clenched.

"Rose," he said softly, running his hand over her arm. "Rose, love, I need you to wake up."

She breathed in deep, then her eyes fluttered open, and even in the dim light, his excellent night vision could see her large hazel eyes searching for his. He stood quickly, pulling the curtains to let in the moonlight to give them something to see each other by without turning on any harsher lights as she sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" she asked as he sat down again beside her, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands in front of him.

"We need to talk," he said quietly.

She sat beside him quietly, her hands clutching the edge of the mattress as he explained about the bond, and about the way it was optional only if the parties involved weren't in love, and the way it became a lingering—and, apparently, escalating—need if they were.

"You're headaches," she said softly after a while. He nodded mutely, and she let out a breath in a whoosh. "Why didn't you tell me? We've been together for…a while now, and you never once mentioned it. Why not?"

He cringed at her hurt and angry tone. "Because it wasn't always this bad. It was always…uncomfortable, since we started sleeping together, but the headaches are fairly recent."

"How recent?" she demanded.

"Since we came back after the Family," he said. "But even then…um. The TARDIS was helping. And it was only when we were…intimate that it was really unmanageable."

"Only…" She trailed off with a shake of her head, then sighed. "God, we really can't catch a break, can we?"

He let out a bitter laugh and brought a hand to the back of his head. "It doesn't seem like it, does it?"

"It's weird, though," she said. "I would've thought the TARDIS would've said something if that was going to happen and I couldn't…give that to you."

"Rose, please don't think that this means that you are in any way not good enough," he said quickly. "It's nothing to do with you, not really. And _I_ didn't even know it…would become this. You can't blame a spaceship for not mentioning it before she pulled you from another universe three years ago."

"Maybe not, but she might have mentioned it sometime in the last couple," she said in an annoyed tone, shaking her head. "Especially when you started getting your headaches. I tried asking, but she just said that you had to tell me when you were ready."

The Doctor stilled at her words, his mind completely locking gears. "What did you say?" he asked quietly.

"Just that she might have mentioned it at some point," Rose said. "I might not have…well. Or at least it wouldn't have been so hard for you…I hate the idea that you've been in pain, to some extent or other, the whole time we've been together."

"Of course you do," he said, his brain still churning. "That's what you do, that's what _we_ do, we feel guilty for everything we shouldn't even while keeping the _stupidest_ secrets from each other. Rose, you and the TARDIS _talk_?"

"Well…I mean, she doesn't so much _talk_," Rose said with a vague wave of her hand. "Most of the time it's pictures or emotions. And then…I dunno, it's not talking. It's like…like a song, that sort of…becomes thoughts?"

He stared at her. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Cause she told me not to," she said with a shrug. "At least, not til after Canary Wharf. Then I got sort of used to not talking about, I guess. Why didn't you ever ask?"

"Because…" He trailed off, staring blankly into space. "Because I am _thick_. And a coward. And apparently _incredibly _adept at denial. I'm so, so sorry, Rose." He looked down at her again to see her staring at him in confusion, and he scrubbed a hand down his face. "I didn't ask because I don't think I really wanted to know. The whole…bond thing…it's complicated. And permanent. It wouldn't go away until one of us died."

"So if I woke up one day resenting you…" she said slowly, and he shrugged. "Oh, Doctor…"

"Yeah," he said. "I just…couldn't think about that too hard."

"Why didn't the TARDIS tell you?" Rose wondered aloud. "Why go to all the trouble to protect you?"

"Because I needed to get over some of the fear on my own," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I doubt I would have believed her. That explains why she kept trying to get me to talk to you, though."

"So, hold on, we could have that?" Rose asked after a moment. "That bond?"

"If you want," he said carefully, trying to ignore the panic once again clawing at him.

"What is it?" she asked, picking up on the mood shift immediately. "What's wrong?"

"It's…" He trailed off, making a frustrated noise as his hand went through his already thoroughly tousled hair again. "The thing is, if we do this, you're going to…you'd see everything. Everything that makes me…me. Any number of terrible things that I haven't told you yet. You might not…want it, after it's done, and I wouldn't really blame you…but by then you wouldn't really be able to get away."

"Doctor," she said softly, her hand moving to his cheek to turn his head so he'd look at her. "I love you. All of you. Even the parts that are scary or ugly. I'm not going to run. I promise."

He swallowed hard, fear and hope warring within him. "You realize this would essentially be marrying me, with absolutely zero option of divorce, right? We'd be tying our lives to each other for what could possibly be centuries. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Never wanted anything more," she said seriously, running her thumb over his cheekbone. "Not everything has to hurt, Doctor."

"You are…completely impossible," he said as the last of his resistance shattered. His arms went around her in a tight embrace, and he held her for a moment, pushing past the throbbing pain it caused. Eventually, he pulled back and kissed the top of her head before pulling her further onto the bed and sitting cross-legged in front of her, motioning for her to do the same. "You're absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely," she said firmly. "Is it…gonna hurt? Like it did with the TARDIS?"

"It shouldn't," he said, not missing the fact that she didn't ask that until _after _she'd agreed to do it. "That was because of the Vortex running through your head, not the bond the TARDIS formed. Just relax, let your mind be open…and remember to breathe. Breathing is important. Ready?"

She nodded, and he sucked in a deep breath, letting it out in a whoosh before raising his hands to her temples, watching her eyes flutter closed before he shut his own and concentrated on moving past her surprisingly formidable mental barriers. When he did gain entrance, he immediately dropped his hands, returning to his own mind with a gasp.

"What happened?" she asked, her eyes snapping open. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said breathlessly, staring at her. "Just…you love me."

"Well, yeah," she said, raising her eyebrows. "Wouldn't be doing all this if I didn't, would I?"

"No…I know," he said, still staring at her in shocked disbelief. "It's just…you _really…_love me. It's…everywhere. In your mind. Even…even with everything I've done, everything I've told you…you…"

Every thought, the stray memories that had floated by, they were all colored with it. The second he'd entered her mind, he'd been completely overwhelmed by it. He knew she loved him, everything she said and did proved it all the time, but to actually experience it was…beyond compare.

"If I'd known all I had to do was let you into my mind to prove that, I'd have done it ages ago," she said with a teasing grin. He gave a small chuckle, raising his hand to stroke her cheek before leaning forward to kiss her softly, ignoring the pain. That would be gone soon enough.

"Right," he said as he pulled back again, raising his hands once more with far more certainty than he'd had the first time, the evidence finally outweighing his doubts. "Let's…try this again, shall we?"


	44. Moment of Truth

_**Pretty sure I could hear the fangirl screams from here yesterday. Your comments totally made it worthwhile to post an extra chapter this week. Loved 'em. And I love how completely sadistic you all are...seems like everyone was cheering on Martha for smacking the Doctor :P**_

_**So now there's this. I know there's like a million and a half different ways that bonding is written, but as far as I know, there's no clear agreed route, so this is how I picture it. Hope it works for you, and that the buildup was worthwhile :)**_

* * *

Rose smiled when the Doctor raised his hands to her temples again, looking a little less terrified this time. She took a slow breath in and out as she felt the strange pressure of his mind flowing into hers, trying to stay relaxed and allow him to do…whatever he needed to do.

Suddenly, Rose found herself not on the hard bed in the London flat, but standing in a field of tall, red grass, under a burnt orange sky. Twin suns were rising behind a glass dome in the distance, and she felt tears pricking her eyes as she realized exactly where she was. It was absolutely picturesque, as only a memory can be, the breeze moving softly through the grass and the silver leaves on the tree.

She looked around for a moment, then spotted a figure in the distance. It looked to be a young child, walking toward her slowly. As she watched, the sky around him faded and bled into new images, images of youth and the bumbling growth. Memories, she realized, and the explanation of each made its way into her mind as it appeared, bypassing words or even conscious thoughts. She saw a family, a best friend. She saw the Academy, and the terror of initiation, followed by an unceasing desire to run, always running. Running from those who would change him, from those who would force their ideals on him, from the responsibility he couldn't understand or agree with.

With each step, the figure in the distance grew taller as the memories changed from those of a child clinging to innocence to the young man who was stripped of it. She saw the tormentor, the one who lived with the sole desire to make the lives of the young man and his friend a misery beyond measure, and she saw the tormentor fall as the young man bloodied his hands for the first time, forced into a position of unwilling killer to protect those less able.

He grew into a man, and fought against the shackles those in power would place on him, unwilling to watch the universe go by without him, unable to ignore the ways that he could change things for the better, take a stand for the powerless, for the beaten and abused. She saw a man old before his time for his species, tired and already broken from battles for his own freedom and the welfare of individuals that would never know of his struggles.

She saw the break, the violent tear, in his relationship with his boyhood friend, one already tattered but still held in high regard. The choice, the terrible choice, one that he couldn't condone but couldn't prevent, and the flight from the home that had already shunned him with the only person who made any effort to understand him, the only family that still recognized him as such, his darling girl.

She saw the charmed indulgence granted to the girl, and the subsequent growing fascination with a race that were as mayflies to his own, so tiny but so much bigger on the inside, so imaginative and daring and wonderful, so free, simultaneously arrogant beyond belief and completely unaware of their own power. She saw his new adventures with these strange little humans, backwards and forwards in their own timeline, before falling to a planet of nightmares, seeing a new enemy that terrified him and would always follow him, always find him, always take from him that which he held so dear.

She saw the losses begin to stack up…his darling girl…the school teachers…the orphan…the girl who thought he was a god…the pilot who knew he wasn't. As he walked closer, he changed, the memories melting around him as his face changed for the first time in the battle with one old enemy before being thrown into a battle with another.

The man continued towards her, growing and changing with each step as the memories continued to pour through the sky behind him. She saw the funny little man with the mop top give way to the distinguished gentleman in an opera cape, then to a curly haired man in a fedora and impossibly long scarf, then to an astonishingly young looking man wearing a grin and a sprig of celery, before changing again into a kaleidoscope of colors and then a myriad of question marks. She saw the tension grow between the man and his people, the man and his friend, the man and himself. She watched the continued struggles between the man and the Master, and witnessed the way he was used and manipulated by those around him even as they sought to banish him, put at risk for their gain when their plans went awry. She saw the trials and felt he fear he had of the Valeyard, of what he could become. She saw the Daleks and the Cybermen, and countless other strange creatures, both friends and foes. Through it all, she saw the adventures, and the battles, and the loss…always loss.

Then, with the dapper body in a nice suit and pocket watch, she watched the world burn. The War came with all the poise of a cannonball, turning a corner of the universe into a little pocket of hell. Races and worlds were destroyed without a moment's pause in the terrible crossfire of two supreme species, each with a terrible agenda. She watched as the man fought through the nightmare until the nightmare turned on him, these two monumental powers seeking triumph at any cost, leaving him to stand alone on behalf of the rest of the universe. Always alone.

She felt the agony and the guilt and the rage and the hate that overwhelmed him as he watched his home and people consumed in flames and locked in time together with their enemies, tucked away to die, some of them countless times—the only solution that would leave the rest of the universe in some semblance of peace.

It was in the aftermath of this that she finally saw him: her Doctor, the torn and battered soldier that she'd met so long ago, the righteous anger barely held in by the hard shell he presented to the world, but always revealed in the icy blaze of his blue eyes, the very last of the powerful race that he himself had been forced to destroy. The memories were different, then. Chaotic fragments as he ran as fast and as far as he could from the trauma he could never quite escape. She watched their meeting—his first, her second—but from his point of view. Only now did she realize how badly he needed her, right from the start…and how hard he fought it from the first moment. She watched the memories spin out of control again when she said no, watched him fly to the end of the universe and back before he lost that first argument with himself and asked her again. She watched their adventures all over again, and watched him let her in slowly even as he continued to argue with himself and exhaust every effort to keep himself apart. She heard his admission to himself as she stood before him, burning herself in order to save him, just before he sacrificed himself for her, granting himself one kiss for the girl who'd saved him so completely before they'd ever stepped foot in those games.

And then he changed into her Doctor with pinstripes and cheeky grin and _incredible _hair, and the memories changed again, becoming detailed once more, like he'd started putting effort into memorizing everything. She saw through all the adventures how he watched her, sometimes in awe and sometimes in fear. She saw the war within himself as he tried to keep himself in control, keep himself walking the line, even while wishing, for the first time, to have the freedom to fall. She watched as he gave inch by reluctant inch, unable to keep himself from seeking out something good, even if it could never last. Then Canary Wharf happened, and she realized that even afterwards, he'd never given in completely. Not once. There was always that fear, always that need to protect himself for when the universe finally came to collect its due and he lost again. The fear and the pain were constant companions, and grew in size until they dwarfed him, and he walked between them with his head bowed like a man headed for the gallows. So he'd run. Run from the fear, and the pain, and from her. But the one thing he couldn't shake was his desire to come back, to stand still, to love and be loved, no matter how far he ran…it became his goal when he became human, and it had stayed when he'd returned, causing his return to her even as his need and mental agony grew.

And then he was standing before her, his dark eyes penetrating, and she suddenly felt more loved and secure than she ever had in her life. Then, as he reached up to cup her cheek, she felt his longing, devotion and desire for her, nearly overwhelming her completely as he leaned down and kissed her. He broke the kiss gently after just a moment, and she felt his lips against her ear, whispering his last secret, the one he would only tell to her, the one she could never tell to anyone, the one that would bind them together the rest of their lives.

oOoOo

When the Doctor entered Rose's mind the second time, he was a little more prepared, but he still stopped and marveled at the depth of her feelings for him. Knowing she loved him was one thing…actually experiencing it first hand, to actually feel _welcome_ in her mind was…strange. Incredibly pleasant, but…strange. He stopped, taking it in for a moment, before he set to work creating a place for himself there, as well as creating the happiest place possible in his own mind for her, and bridging the two.

As he did this, he saw the translation her life took as the bond formed; in her case, he was essentially shown a movie of her life on fast forward, but slowing at certain key points to allow for details and emotions. He watched her scrape knees and lose teeth. He smiled when he saw tiny Rose Tyler on the roof of her building, reaching up as high as she could for the stars, but never quite reaching them. He listened to the bonding talks with her mother, and shook his head at the the loud arguments between the two. He tried to control his intense hatred at the entrance of Jimmy Stone, and rage as the boy stripped Rose of her innocence and self-worth piece by piece, but gained new respect for Mickey the idiot as he built her back up with more patience and understanding that she was probably consciously aware of at the time, these memories colored with hindsight.

Then she met him. At first, he was confused as he watched the beginning of their life together, trying to understand how she'd gotten so many details wrong, before he realized that he was seeing her first time round with him, and he watched with greater focus. He was stunned all over again at what she'd done, how she'd grown…this first version was the same on the surface, but so completely different underneath. There were small but significant changes. Sometimes she chose a different course of action, and someone died that he knew had lived. Sometimes she was caught in ways he knew she would never have let herself be now. There was a distinct lack in certain conversations that had lasting impacts on both of them…as well as a lack of nightmares she had suffered from the day he'd met her. She was Rose, still someone he obviously fell for, but so different, so much more unsure, so much more innocent. Even after Satellite Five, when he could see hints of the small changes she'd endured both from her travels and from her exposure to the Vortex, she still hadn't completely come into her own, and she wasn't sure enough of herself to fight for him. They were close, still so much closer than he would usually allow himself to be with anyone, but so far from what they'd become in the version he knew. He saw the close calls, her moments of frustration when he would very nearly give in, very nearly let go…only to spin away again. He watched in shock as the events of Canary Wharf unfolded and she was lost to him. And then the beach. His hearts wrenched when he saw her crying as she told him she loved him, then sinking to the ground, inconsolable, as he faded away before he could get the words out.

And then he watched her try, try so hard, for him if not for her, to make some life for herself in that new world of hers. He felt the lingering pain and loneliness from her loss, heard the screams of her nightmares, saw the tears that she tried to hide from everyone else who kept urging her to move on. As time went on, the pain didn't go away, just got easier to bury, and it almost seemed like she'd make it after all, at least to the people around her. He smiled in disbelief when he realized what she'd said was true…no matter how much it hurt, no matter how much she sometimes hated this world she was trapped in, no matter how much she missed him and the life she'd had with him, she never once regretted it, never once blamed him for any of it. But she never stopped wishing to have it back, either.

He saw her work with Torchwood, and felt intense pride at the way she handled herself, never once backing down, showing incredible cheek in the most dire situations. He felt for her every time something went wrong, every time someone was hurt or lost because her plan had fallen apart, when she'd rage at the world and the universe for cheating, stacking the cards against her. He could understand that feeling…all too well. But the pride came back every time she got back up and stood to fight again. He realized that while she'd fixed him…he'd shown her something she wasn't aware of…her own brilliance and capability, her strength and character and ability to stand up for what was right. By taking her with him, he'd been able to show her herself, and she had become something amazing. Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth.

And then he watched it fall apart. Everything she worked for was ripped away from her in pieces, the people she loved looking through her, denying she ever even existed. He felt her stab of pain the day Mickey swore up and down that he'd been alone with the Doctor when they'd landed in that parallel world for the first time, and again when Jackie told a friend that Tony was her only child. He watched her lose her father all over again in the worst way possible, both of them fighting so hard in a battle they could never hope to win. Her world crumbled around her, and still, if she thought of the Doctor, it was with love. His hearts broke as he heard her beg him not to forget her just before the TARDIS made her grand entrance into her little flat.

And then she was back, living through it all again, but the changes were so much more obvious now that he'd seen the first version of events. She was so much stronger, so much more confident, but there was the alternating waves of confusion, triumph, or defeat as events unfolded around her, sometimes changed for the better, sometimes staying frustratingly similar. He heard their many conversations, the subtle ways she opened him up at first, then the strength with which she fought against his demons. He could feel the love pouring from her from the very beginning, even when he was all leather and rage, but so much deeper now that she had gained more understanding of him.

What surprised him, though, was that little bit of nagging insecurity. He was stunned to realize that, as confused as he was as to why she loved him, she was just as perplexed that she was the one he'd asked twice, she was the one who'd made him open up at all, she was the one who, after nine hundred years, proved to him that he wasn't quite as above it all as he thought, and that it might be okay. She understood on some intellectual level that she'd helped him, that she'd made him better, but there was always that lingering part of her that wondered what he'd seen in a shopgirl from London to begin with. As much as he was waiting for the day that she'd walk away…there was a part of her that was dreading the day he'd realize how thoroughly ordinary she was underneath it all and fly out of her life.

They were both a little bent, a little twisted up by life, a little unsure of their own worthiness of the other's love, but both willing to go to impossible lengths for each other. Somehow, their dents matched, and they filled in each other's grooves in ways he'd never realized before. As he finished off his work, emblazoning his last secret in his own little corner of her mind, he smiled, thinking once again how neither of them had to be perfect to be perfect together.

oOoOo

When he finally dropped his hands from her temples and opened his eyes, he felt an odd mix of exhaustion and exhilaration. The effort it took to complete both parts of the bond, even if she was able to sustain it on her own afterwards, was tremendous, and after more than two weeks with no sleep, even his body was starting to flag. On the other hand…as far as he could tell, it had worked. He could still feel a small, warm, golden presence in the back of his mind…not as strong as he'd like, more like a reminder than like her, but there nonetheless. Once again, the impossible had proved to be nothing more than a challenge.

Except now her eyes were open, and she was giving him the strangest look, and even with that tenuous bond, he had no idea what she was thinking.

"Rose?" he said softly as she continued to stare at him. "Rose, say something. Please."

"Doctor," she said softly. "I saw…oh god."

Panic slammed through him. He'd been wrong. She'd been wrong. And now it was too late.

"What?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm. "What did you see?"

"Everything," she breathed, tears coming to her eyes. "Every…all those battles, all those things you had to do…the Master…the Valeyard…the War…and all that loss…"

"I'm sorry, Rose," he said thickly, his hand hovering over her but afraid to actually touch her, not sure he could take it if she recoiled now. "I'm so sorry."

"All those things, all the terrible choices, the sacrifices…for the sake of so many who would never even know your name," she said, the tears now streaming down her face. "And always alone. So, so alone. Even when there were people…you were always set apart by what you'd done, or what you could do, or who you are. Oh, Doctor."

He froze, completely stunned as she launched herself at him. His arms went around her automatically after an instant as he tried to understand what had just happened. She'd seen everything. That's what she'd said. But she wasn't afraid. For some reason, she was upset _for_ him, for what his life had been like up to now.

And then he felt it. The small golden presence suddenly flared and grew in his mind, then flooded it with light. There were no corners she couldn't get to anymore, no doors closed to her, no shadows that could hide from her. He completely lost track of reality again as every ounce of pain and guilt and anger was drowned in her.

Eventually, it receded, and the all the trauma was back, but just like she always did, she took some of the pain with her. None of it was quite as bad, no demon quite as loud, no shadow quite as dark. And the golden presence in his mind was stronger, so much stronger, after she'd pushed her way through. It wasn't just a tiny reminder now…now, it was Rose, something completely her that would stay with him always.

"Rose," he breathed, still reeling at everything that had just happened.

"You're not alone anymore, Doctor," she said, pulling back to look at him, tears still wet on her cheeks. "I can't give you back everything you lost, but I can give you this."

"Rose, you've been giving me things back since the day I met you," he said softly. "Don't ever think otherwise."

And then he was kissing her, her hand raking through his hair and his hands reaching under her shirt to hold her bare back, needing to feel her. It took a second for him to realize that he was still steeling himself for the pain, still holding himself tightly in control, before he remembered that he didn't have to anymore. Bit by tiny bit, he let go, uncoiling from the tight knot he always kept himself in and letting himself feel and enjoy her completely.

He made love to her slowly, prolonging every electric touch, savoring every intoxicating kiss, and relishing in the way her mind responded to him as well as her body. He could feel the way every caress and sweep of his lips affected her, could feel her love and desire coming through their bond in waves, and was spurred on by the knowledge that she was feeling the same thing from him. For the first time, he lost himself in her completely as they drove each other to the highest possible peak of pleasure before crashing back down together. And in the moment of calm afterwards, before he pulled himself away, he heard her whisper into his mind that she loved him, making him shiver and lean down to kiss her deeply as he whispered back through their new bond his own words of love and devotion.

Minutes later, he was on his back and feeling more relaxed than he'd been for an incredibly long time, one hand behind his head while the other lazily stroked Rose's back as she cuddled against his chest.

"That was…different," she said.

"Mmm…good different or bad different?" he asked, not opening his eyes.

"Definitely good," she said, and he chuckled. "I can still feel you…in my head. Just this little piece of you, somewhere in the back of my mind."

"I should hope so," he said. "You're supposed to. That's the bond."

"And you can feel me too?"

"Oh yes," he said, opening one eye to look down at her as he grinned.

"It's not empty in there anymore," she said with a smile.

"Nope," he said, popping the p. "Now it's filled with Rose. Which, I have to say, feels glorious."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He looked down at her for another moment as she cuddled back into his chest, still amazed that it had been only a few hours ago that one very intense kiss had left him in complete agony, when he'd been sure he could never tell her, much less have this. "I love you, Rose."

"Always, my Doctor," she replied sleepily. He kissed the top of her head lightly before closing his eyes once again, making new plans in his head for Rose even while he drifted off into a peaceful and dreamless sleep.


	45. A Human Tradition

_**So I really was going to try to put this up over the weekend, but I ended up getting the cold from hell, one that I'm still suffering from, so I've been generally foggy and gross feeling. Good news is, the wedding was phenomenal, and my sister and new brother-in-law are now...just...disgustingly happy and mushtastic. Which might explain this chapter. Anyway, thank you so much for all your positive reviews on the last chapter...that whole thing was one of the "oh, shiny!" moments that kept distracting me from what I was *supposed* to be writing during the whole Human Nature/Family of Blood arc. So glad that you guys liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)**_

**_And...now I need to stop my cold medicine induced rambling. Enjoy!_**

* * *

The Doctor woke slowly, momentarily disoriented. Then he felt the new golden presence in his mind and smiled as the memories from the night before came back to him. Rose was his…in the most intimate and permanent way possible. And she loved him so much, as much as he loved her…and he didn't have to run. He turned his head a little and realized that she was curled up against his side, still sleeping peacefully. He didn't try to wake her…the plans he'd started mapping out last night might actually be easier if she stayed asleep and out of the way for a little while. But he couldn't resist nudging her presence in his mind a little as he leaned down to kiss her hair softly, smiling again when she sighed in her sleep, a happy, contented sound.

He got up carefully, dressing as swiftly and as silently as possible, carrying his shoes and his jacket and leaving his tie hanging loose as he made his way out of the room, closing the door slowly behind him. He made his way down the hall, but froze when he saw Martha sitting at the kitchen counter with a mug of tea and watching him with a smile.

"Things went alright, then?" she asked quietly.

"Um…yeah," he said, avoiding her gaze as he dropped his jacket over the back of another chair and leaned down to pull on his trainers. "Yeah, they did."

"You know, I should take a picture of this for posterity," she commented as she took another sip of tea.

"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.

"God, have you seen yourself?" she asked. "How many people can say they've seen the almighty Doctor sporting a 'just been thoroughly shagged' look?"

"Martha," he said in a warning tone, then he softened as he straightened to look at her. "Things went…considerably better than expected. You were right."

"Hold on, could you just say that again?" she asked, holding her hand behind her ear. "Don't think I heard that quite right."

"You were right, Martha," he repeated, arching an eyebrow and smirking. "And thank you…turns out I might _occasionally_ need someone to beat some sense into me."

"Glad you realize that," she said benevolently. "So it worked then? The…bond thing?"

"It worked," he said, suddenly grinning like an idiot and not caring in the slightest, and she laughed. "But…well, there's something I want to do. And, much as it pains me to admit it, especially in light of everything you've already done…I think I need your help."

He outlined his plan for her, and was delighted when she happily accepted her given assignment, not even arguing about the fact that the whole thing would require another trip to the bank to withdraw from his "account". Apparently, some things transcended the Martha Jones code of morality, and his plan for Rose was among them.

oOoOo

Rose stretched luxuriously when she first woke, but sat bolt upright when she realized that she was missing a certain Time Lord. As soon as she did, however, she felt a wave reassurance course through her from a happy little spot in the back of her mind.

_Needed to handle something_, the Doctor's voice came in her mind. _I'll be there soon._

She smiled and fell back against the pillows, then closed her eyes and concentrated. His presence was sort of a background hum, a bit like the TARDIS while being completely different at the same time. She nudged it a little, wondering what exactly it meant. She knew the TARDIS could pick up stray thoughts sometimes when she was feeling particularly nosy, and wondered if the Doctor could do the same.

_Only when you're blasting them at me_, came an amused admonishment, and her eyes snapped open. _Don't worry, we'll practice._

She rolled her eyes, but smiled again. She was still trying to wrap her mind around everything that had happened—his confession about the headaches, then the whole experience she'd had while the bond was being formed, then…other things. She hadn't known something was missing until it wasn't—she loved that he was finally able to let go of the almost unhealthy amount of control he exerted over himself all the time, the way she could _feel_ him give in little by little as they completely lost themselves in each other.

_We __**really**__ need to practice_, the Doctor growled, and she laughed out loud. She gave up examining the bond, letting it fade into the background again as she got up stiffly and made her way to the loo, indulging in a hot bath before dressing in wide leg trousers and a sleeveless blouse.

She was still standing in front of the bureau when she felt his hands on her waist as he kissed her neck gently. She let out a small sigh before turning, draping her arms loosely around his neck as his hands settled on her hips.

"Hello," she said softly.

"Hello," he returned with a smile before leaning down to kiss her deeply, but oh so tenderly. He broke the kiss gently when she was completely breathless, making a happy sound in the back of his throat. "Been wanting to do that for the last hour, since you sent me those colorful memories of yours."

"Sorry," she said, blushing furiously.

"Don't be," he said. "Not ever. Between being empty in my head and in pain every time I touch your or having you distract me with excruciatingly detailed mental pictures, I'll take the latter any day. But I told you, we'll practice. You'll learn how to keep certain things to yourself better…or at least maybe time it better," he added thoughtfully, and suddenly her mind was filled with some…rather graphic pictures as well. She sucked in a breath and he grinned down at her as the pictures faded. "Oh…that could definitely be fun."

"Lecherous old man," she accused with a smile.

"Oh yes," he said, leaning down for another quick peck before stepping back and leaning up against the footboard of the bed. "So…how much do you remember of…what you saw?" he asked carefully.

She thought hard for a moment before she answered. "Um…bits and pieces. Sort of…like a dream, a really detailed one."

He nodded. "I sort of figured that. It would be a lot to hold in your head at once with instant recall…even for a mind that is slightly more than human. But…that doesn't mean it's gone. Rose, what can you tell me about Susan?"

"Tiny, short black hair…huge smile," she said with a grin. "Pestered you for ages about going to school before you finally gave in and enrolled her at the Coal Hill School, loved John Smith and the Commoners and beat poetry, which annoyed you to no end, old stick in the mud you were…but you loved her so much."

He swallowed hard, then nodded. "At least three of those things I've never mentioned to you before. So, I'm assuming my theory is right. Everything's still there, and you'll remember it if something connects to it. Otherwise, it's just sort of filed away."

"But let me guess, you remember everything," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, to be fair, you had over 900 years of someone else's life poured into your head," he said pragmatically. "I had maybe thirty-five. That's a pretty substantial difference."

"What do you mean thirty…oh," she said, realizing what that meant. It hadn't really occurred to her that he would see her first time round with him, as well as Pete's World, given the strangeness of her timeline now. But she felt a sudden wave of panic that he knew everything she hadn't said. She'd avoided talking about those years in anything but the most basic details, burying the lingering pain and still present nightmares. She looked up to see him watching her cautiously, and it made her feel cornered. "I know I didn't tell you…everything, about how long it was and…other things. It's just…it doesn't really matter, you know, because I'm the only one who even remembers it, and really, none of that even exists anymore, and—"

"Rose," he said, interrupting her softly, and she snapped her mouth shut and swallowed hard. "If there is anyone—_anyone _—who understands not wanting to talk about something because it's painful, it's me. You don't have to explain yourself. Even with all your questions, you've never _forced_ me to talk about anything. I'm not about to do that to you."

"I—thank you," she said quietly, looking down again.

He was quiet for another moment as she leaned back against the bureau, clutching it with white knuckles, then sighed.

"I won't make you talk about it, but there's a couple of things that I need to say," he said finally, and she steeled herself. "For one thing…I'm sorry I never said it. I'm sorry I ran out of time and…left you like that. Things were different, that time…but don't ever think that I didn't love you. There's never been a time that I met you that I didn't love you. Second…there's nothing you could tell me that I don't know…that includes the painful memories, and the memories that are painful because they only exist for you. I know you're happy now…but I also know how hard it is to be the only one to remember something. So…just know that you're not alone, and that I can remember all of that with you." Her eyes were already burning as the wounds that had festered for too long were brought to light and soothed. He paused, then stepped closer to her, putting a hand on her cheek and making her look up at him. "And I want you to know, for all the pain of it, for all the anger and guilt you felt when things went wrong, for all the helplessness and loss…Rose Tyler, I am so, so proud of you. For everything that you were, for everything that you became, and for everything you are now. You are…so strong. Defender of the Earth, the Big Bad Wolf. Don't ever, ever think that you are anything less than extraordinary."

He pulled her into his arms then, pressing a kiss to her hair as she felt his mental caress, calming her scattered emotions. That dark little part of her, the one she usually pretended didn't exist, started to feel a little less impenetrable, the pain left by a life that never was a little less sharp. She rested her cheek on his chest as he swayed gently and smoothed her hair down, letting herself lean into his solid strength for a long moment.

When she finally did pull away, she looked up at him with a small smile. "That was a switch…I thought I was the one who was supposed to be helping you with all your pain."

"Not at the cost of ignoring yours," he said firmly. "You alright?"

She took a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh before nodding, and he smiled a little wider before leaning down to kiss her softly.

"So, um, what were you doing?" she asked, her hands running over his lapels as his hands settled on her hips again. "When I woke up?"

"Oh, _that_," he said, grinning suddenly. "We're going to Scotland. That is, if you want to."

"Scotland?" she asked, confused. "Why would we be going to _Scotland_?"

"Well…you know how I said last night that bonding was essentially marrying me?" he asked, and she caught the slightest wave of insecurity from him, intriguing her.

"Yes…"

"Right, well, um…" He trailed off, tugging on his ear. "That's…blimey, completely beyond anything I ever thought we could have, to be honest, and completely, completely brilliant…but…you're human. I think you deserve a little Earth-based pomp and circumstance."

"And that means Scotland?" she asked.

"Well…Gretna Green, to be more specific," he said, and her jaw dropped. "Since I really don't want to hang around waiting for bans or anything else involved in something more elaborate, and I doubt you do either…"

"Hold on," she said, blinking rapidly. "You want to go to _Gretna Green_ and get _married_? I mean…an actual human ceremony? Isn't that a bit…dunno, domestic? Bit far out of your comfort zone, I'd think…"

"Do you remember what I said at Christmas?" he asked softly, and she stared at him.

"You…you said I was your comfort zone…"

"Exactly," he said, watching her for a moment before stepping back and fishing a ring box out of his pocket, completely astounding her by actually getting down on one knee. He popped open the box, revealing a stunning diamond set in a swirl of silver and blue as her hands flew to her mouth. "Rose Tyler, I've already promised to love you always, and tied myself to you in a way that binds us forever. But will you do me the great honor of allowing me to give you something human—for once—and agree to become my wife?"

She looked down at him for a moment, then slowly lowered her hands, eyes wide. "I dunno, Doctor…that's an awfully big commitment."

His jaw dropped and he stared up at her before she smiled, and his eyes narrowed. He made a growling noise and got smoothly to his feet, wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her close as he buried his other hand in her hair, crashing his lips down on hers. She melted against him, the nails of one hand scraping over his scalp and making him groan while the other moved over the fine wool at his back.

"You were saying?" he asked huskily when they came up for breath.

"When do we leave?" she asked with a grin, and he smirked down at her.

"Better," he said, then moved to capture her hand, slipping the ring on her finger before bringing it to his mouth to kiss it lightly. She got a wave of déjà vu to Marion and John, and he smiled lightly as he swooped down to capture her lips again.

oOoOo

The next few hours passed in a haze for Rose as the Doctor revealed the plan he had been able to orchestrate flawlessly within a couple of hours. Martha returned to the flat soon after he'd given Rose the ring with a couple of garment bags and several other packages in tow, whisking them away from Rose when she tried to look. Jamie had made an appearance a half hour later, still looking apologetic over the night before, but informing them that the taxi taking them to the train station was ready and waiting downstairs. Rose gave in as all three bustled her into the car, and stood in stunned amazement as they were greeted at the train station by Nancy and Andrew, who were apparently accompanying them.

"How did you manage all this?" she whispered to the Doctor as they found their seats on the train.

"I was highly motivated," he said with an eyebrow waggle and a grin.

"What about…dunno, a dress…and rings…did you even _want_ a ring?" she asked as they sat down.

"Rose, I promise you, everything is taken care of," he assured her. "And…yes. If I'm going to submit to a human moment…I'll take it all."

On the trip, Andrew mentioned that Gretna Green wasn't quite as relaxed as it once was for such hurry-up weddings: they now required proof of at least a 21-day residence by at least one party. The Doctor grinned and affected his impeccable Scottish accent as he pulled out the psychic paper, assuring Andrew that this would not be a problem.

It was late afternoon when they made it to Gretna Green, and the Doctor checked them into the rooms he'd reserved at a small hotel before Rose was whisked away by Nancy and Martha to be made into a blushing bride, something that made her giggle endlessly. She gave Martha a tight hug, however, when she saw the dress the other girl had managed to procure on such short notice: a long, off-white, pleated number with a halter front and long strings in the back that wrapped around her once it was on, giving it a vaguely Romanesque look. Nancy carried this on by pulling her hair back loosely, leaving curls down to wreathe her face, and working tiny white flowers into her hair rather than deal with a veil. The overall affect was wonderful, and she had tears brimming in her eyes as she thanked them both. She couldn't help feeling a moment of hesitation, however, before the brief ceremony began, something neither Nancy nor her husband missed.

"Rose?" Nancy asked, concerned. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet _now_."

"No, it's not that," Rose said quickly. "It's just…well, I can't help wishing my mum and dad could be here. You know, I was at their wedding…just sort of wish they could be at mine. Wouldn't have to walk down the aisle on my own, for one," she added with a self-conscious laugh.

"Well, it might not make up for not having your parents here," Andrew said slowly after exchanging a look with Nancy. "But, if you'll allow me, I'd love to have the honor of walking you down the aisle. You and your Doctor are the ones responsible for my wife and son, after all."

Rose looked up at him for a moment with watery eyes, then smiled. "I'd like that, thanks."

oOoOo

For his part, the Doctor was feeling antsy once he was actually in the small chapel waiting for Rose. The day had passed in a flurry of activity, which easily kept him from thinking too hard on what he was actually doing, focusing only on the fact that he was giving something to her. Now his leg jiggled nervously and he tugged at his collar—he fully recognized how ridiculous it was, given what they'd done last night and the permanence of that decision, but there was something completely different about tying himself to her when they were alone in a small bedroom in a London flat, and actually being part of a ceremony with witnesses and things.

He fiddled uncomfortably with his cuffs, again cursing Jamie and Martha for insisting that he wear a tux. Tux events always ended badly for him. Martha declared that the streak would end here, but he wasn't completely sure.

"Stop wishing for an alien invasion," Jamie whispered at his side, and he frowned, dropping his hands to his sides. "And for god's sake, smile. This is a happy thing."

He nodded, but remained tense as Martha made her appearance in a short purple dress—then lost complete track of everything when he saw Rose, remembering suddenly exactly why he was doing this. She smiled at him radiantly as she walked down the aisle on Andrew's arm, and he managed to grin back as he took her hands and stood before the officiator, winking at her stunned face when the man announced the wedding of "Doctor John Tyler and Rose Tyler—no relation." He'd had quite enough of John Smith, and he certainly wouldn't change her name for the world.

The rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch, and she smiled as he slipped a wedding band on her finger that matched the still new engagement ring, fitting into it nicely. He couldn't help letting out a little chuckle as she pushed the ring he'd found onto his finger while whispering into his mind that it wasn't nearly as heavy as it felt…she knew him entirely too well. And then it was over, and he was being told to kiss his bride, which he more than happily did, quite thoroughly. No one but them knew the full extent of everything that they'd fought through and for to get to that moment, but that was alright. By rights from both his forgotten world and her dislocated one, they had promised themselves to each other, dealing a death blow to several demons for both of them.

oOoOo

After the ceremony, Nancy and Jamie proudly signed their marriage license as witnesses before they all went back to the hotel for dinner and dancing. Rose was in rare form, smiling brilliantly at anyone who passed by her and dancing with everyone from guests to waiters during the odd moments that the Doctor let go of her. He was smiling at her as she laughed her way across the floor with Jamie when Martha slipped into the seat next to him.

"So, how's it feel?" she asked.

"Strangely comfortable," he said easily, surprised at himself as he took another sip of champagne. She surprised him by leaning over to throw her arms around his neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm happy for you," she said as she leaned back again. "I know it's…been hard…getting here."

"Oh, it was only a couple of taxis and a train," he said lightly, and she rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah. It was. But thank you…for everything. I probably would have gotten here eventually—god knows I couldn't have stayed away from her forever, or hidden the headaches for much longer—but the swift kick in the rear definitely helped."

"I will never hesitate to kick you in the rear—or smack you upside the head," she said seriously. "In the name of friendship, of course."

"Of course," he said with a grin, clinking his glass against hers. "I also think I'm going to owe both of you an extra week at the spa after all this."

"Count on it," she said, beaming at him. "Especially since she's going to have to quit her job now."

"What?" he asked, confused. "Why?"

"For one, I have a feeling she's going to be completely useless, mooning about everywhere and stopping every five minutes to look at that rock on her hand," she said. "For two, you said you two were going to have to practice with that whole…mind meld thing you have going on now. And three…you need help. You're having trouble figuring out how to get us out of here, and it's frustrating you…so better off for her to stay with you."

"Several very good points," he murmured, watching Rose as she glanced over her shoulder and grinned at him. "Are you sure you're okay with that, though?"

"What, supporting you and your new lady wife?" she asked with a cheeky grin, and he froze. "Nah, I'm alright."

"My what?" he asked, stunned. Between the work he'd done already to try to get them out and the distraction of the headaches, not to mention the total chaos of the last twenty-four hours, the specifics of the transcript had completely slipped his mind.

"Your new lady wife," Martha repeated, nodding at Rose. She gave him a confused look when he burst out laughing. "What?"

"Oh, Martha Jones," he said with a grin. "You are absolutely brilliant, you know that?"

With that, he took her glass, setting both on the table before taking her hand and dragging her off to the dance floor, feeling lighter than he had in years.

* * *

_**Okay, seriously, last thing...I'm gonna put links up for pics of the dress and rings on my profile, cause I know someone's gonna ask. So there's that. See you Thursday!**_


	46. Pieces Falling into Place

_**Winding down on this arc...only one chapter left. For Classic Whovians, I apologize in advance...I went a little Author Victorious on the Doctor's timeline, but I wanted a cameo, and Two always makes me of an extremely fussy Mister Magoo with a bowl cut and a flute. Just not one of my favorites. John Pertwee's Three, on the other hand, is up there with Tom Baker in my Classic Who lineup, so I rearranged things to suit my tastes. Shh...just let it happen. It'll be alright.**_

_**Thanks so much for the many congrats for my sister, as well as the many well-wishes. The cold from hell is starting to subside slowly, and I'm feeling considerably less foggified. Kudos to my brilliant BetaBabe, who put up with my medicated rambling for the last few days. And, as always, thank you for your continued support through reviews and PMs...always a pleasure.**_

* * *

"Definitely going to phone you, gorgeous girl!" DI Billy Shipton called after the pretty blonde that had gotten just hurried out, slamming the door behind her.

"You'd definitely better!" she called back and he grinned, glancing down at the number in his hand. The day had definitely ended better than he'd hoped twenty minutes ago, even if it was all a bit strange, as usual. He was pretty sure that he was never going to have a normal day again while assigned to Wester Drummlins…but at least this time he'd met a hot girl in the process.

He glanced back at the police box that was the prize of his Wester Drummlins collection, and his eyes narrowed when he saw that there were suddenly four angel statues surrounding it. They most definitely had not been there when he'd approached it earlier with Sally Sparrow. He stepped closer, glancing around warily. They looked heavy…it would have to take more than one man to carry even just one of those statues; there was no way he'd missed a whole group of people coming in and lugging statues with them. One even looked like it was trying to get into the police box. He stared at the statues for a moment, confused.

Then he blinked.

He had a strange, intense feeling of vertigo, then his back was falling against a wall in an alley that was…definitely not where he was a moment ago. As he looked around, he saw two people, a man in a suit and another blonde girl, racing towards him.

"Welcome," the man said with a cheery grin, holding out some sort of device that was clicking and beeping at him.

"Where am I?" Billy asked, glancing around again.

"1969," the man said. "Not bad, as it goes. You've got the moon landing to look forward to."

"Which is brilliant," the girl added. "Martha loves it. Had to take her four times. By the way, I'm Rose, and this is the Doctor."

"Hello!" the man said, wiggling his fingers in a little wave. Billy stared at them both for a moment.

"How did I get here?" he asked carefully.

"The same way we did," the Doctor said. "The touch of an angel. Same one, probably, since you ended up in the same year."

He must have hit his head. Fallen on an angel and hit his head, blacking out. Then…what? Wandered the city half-conscious? It was night now, too. And he'd been found by madmen. Well, mad people. He started to get up, but the Doctor pushed him down again. Who was called "the Doctor" anyway?

"No no no no no," the Doctor said. "Don't get up. Time travel without a capsule, nasty. Catch your breath, don't go swimming for half an hour."

"I don't…I can't…" He trailed off weakly as his head swam.

"Fascinating race, the Weeping Angels," the Doctor went on. "The only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely. No muss, no fuss, they just zap you into the past and let you live to death. The rest of your life used up and blown away in the blink of an eye. You die in the past, and in the present they consume the energy of all the days you might have had, all your stolen moments." He paused with a sniff. "They're creatures of the abstract. They live off potential energy."

"What in God's name are you talking about?" Billy demanded finally.

"It's all a bit…messy," Rose said, arching an eyebrow at the Doctor. "Trust me, that was the easy version. Just nod when he takes a breath, we'll try to explain better later."

The Doctor looked offended for a moment, then shook it off. "Tracked you down with this. This is my timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there's stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at 30 paces, whether you want it to or not, actually, so I've learned to stay away from hens. It's not pretty when they blow."

"It's really not," Rose said with a shiver.

"I don't understand," Billy said, staring between them. "Where am I?"

"1969, like he says," Rose said.

"Normally, I'd offer you a lift home," the Doctor said. "But somebody nicked my motor. So I need you to take a message to Sally Sparrow. And I'm sorry, Billy, I am very, very sorry. It's gonna take you a while."

Billy stared down at the street for a moment, trying to figure out some logical explanation for…anything. None of this made any sense, and his head was still swimming, lending credence to the concussion theory.

"C'mon," Rose said gently after a moment, and he looked up at her. "We can't take you home, but we can at least get you somewhere a little warmer and…safer than this."

He got to his feet with the Doctor's help, and followed the mad couple to their flat, sincerely hoping that he wasn't going to find anything there that he couldn't plausibly deny later.

oOoOo

"Are they always like that?" Billy asked the next day, eyeing the mad couple as the Doctor apparently attempted to steer Rose through the process of making something edible, which apparently involved a lot of giggling and little touches that made the girl jump.

"Not always," the other girl—Martha—told him, looking over at the would-be chefs. "But they've had a hard time of it, and they just got married a few days ago. They're still a little giddy and slap-happy."

Billy nodded and sighed. The three travelers had spent most of the day explaining to him again what was going on, where he was, and how he was there. It still all sounded like a bad sci-fi movie, but he didn't have any other explanation, so unless he somehow woke up warm and happy back home very soon, he was going to have to believe them. They'd been kind, though. Martha had even let him stay in her bed last night when his head stopped swimming only to leave him completely done in, while she took the couch.

"So how long have you all been here, again?" Billy asked.

"About three weeks," Martha supplied. "There's been…issues."

"What kind of 'issues'?" he asked, holding up his hands in air quotes.

"The Doctor's had some…problems…making something we need," Martha said carefully.

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

"Um…digital recorder and an autocue," she said.

"He can make a timey-wimey detector out of nothing, but not a video camera?" Billy asked incredulously.

"Apparently he had some parts for _that_ in his pocket," Martha said with an eyeroll. "Not so much for a video recorder."

"Oi!" the Doctor called from the kitchen. "This is not all my fault. We couldn't leave before he got here anyway."

"So I could carry your message to Sally Sparrow," Billy said. "Do I really have to wait until that day before I see her again?"

"Well, if you want to tear a hole in the fabric of space and time that will destroy two thirds of the universe, be my guest," the Doctor said, and Billy shook his head with a resigned sigh.

"Guess I'll never get that drink. Really too bad…she was hot."

"Always the blondes," he heard Martha mutter, and he cut his eyes to the happy couple again.

"Tell you what," he said. "I've been in here all day. I want to get my bearings. How about you and me go have that drink, and let those two stay here and…be married."

Martha started to shake her head, but Rose cut in first. "Do it, Martha. Jamie's out at his parents' place til tomorrow, and I know we've been driving you mad. Besides, might be one of the last time's you get to paint Sixties London red."

"See, they approve," Billy said with a grin.

Martha looked him and her friend again, looking indecisive, then nodded her head firmly as she stood. "Yeah, alright. C'mon. But just drinks. No…funny business."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said with a smile as he helped her into her coat.

oOoOo

It was another two days before things finally came together. Martha had gone to work, and Billy was pounding the pavement, armed with the psychic paper, to find a job in publishing. The Doctor and Rose had spent a little time practicing with their link, then turned reluctantly back to the task of attempting to make the parts they needed. After Rose burned her finger for the fourth time on a soldering iron, the Doctor made an executive decision that they were going out for lunch, to hell with the parts.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Rose asked as they walked back to the flat after lunch. "Billy and Martha? They seem…close."

"Nah, they'll be fine," the Doctor said. "You saw them kiss once, and they were both pretty sloshed. They haven't seemed overly friendly in the last couple of days. Besides, Sally says he gets married sometime after this. To another Sally, point of fact."

"Think she'll be blonde?" Rose asked, kicking at a stone.

"You know she didn't mean anything by that," the Doctor said gently. "She's frustrated. We've managed to trap her again. And our lives don't exactly leave a lot of room for romance. Unless, of course, someone refuses to leave or stay human and pesters the pilot until he has absolutely no choice but to love her forever."

"Of course," Rose said with a cheeky, tongue in teeth grin, and he smirked at her as he dropped a kiss on her head.

Looking back, he decided it was that grin that distracted him. It always had. That was why he didn't notice the other man until it was far too late. He was walking quickly in the opposite direction, and jostled Rose, knocking her into the Doctor with barely a pause, much less an apology, and the Doctor frowned, his hand on her back.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," she said, shaking herself before she turned to look back at the man—who was now looking back at her in confusion, and the Doctor stared at him in stunned disbelief.

"I say, young lady," the other man said. "Have we met?"

"I don't—" She stopped, her brow furrowed as she took in the frilly cuffs under the tailored jacket. "Oh my god," she breathed, and the Doctor knew she recognized him as well. "Doctor. You're the _Doctor_."

"So we have met, then," the Doctor's other self said—his third, to be exact.

"Not yet," she said, shaking her head with a small smile. "Rose Tyler. But…oh! I've always wanted to—"

"Yeah, you're…legendary where we come from," the Doctor said with a smile. "We're big fans. But you know, you're probably busy, we should really—"

"Oh, there's no need to rush off quite so soon," he said, smiling broadly at Rose, and the Doctor's jaw dropped. "I am sorry that I didn't see you. Are you quite alright?"

"Oh, yeah, fine," she said dismissively. "Oh, but…you know, we could really use your help."

"Of course, my dear," he said, stepping closer and taking her hand. "What can I help you with?"

"Oh, it's nothing," the Doctor said, tugging Rose closer and frowning. Not because he was jealous, because that would be preposterous. Just because…well…because. "Really, we've got it all under control."

"But we haven't," Rose pointed out.

"But we will," he insisted with a pointed look. "Without bothering the Doctor, because that could be a _really_ bad idea." Rose was looking at Three with a thoughtful expression. The Doctor hated that look. That look meant that she was soon going to talk him into doing something he didn't want to do, using her own personal brand of weaponized rationality. That look meant doom. "Rose," he said in a warning tone.

"Do you remember this?" she asked, looking up at him.

He glanced at Three, who's eyes had snapped to him suspiciously, and sighed, already seeing the route to said doom. "No."

"So there's already got to be some memory suppression, right?" she asked.

"…Yeah," he said reluctantly.

"So what's a little more?" she asked practically. "That'll take care of the paradox, and you said yourself that you'd be able to fix everything easily if you could get into the TARDIS workrooms. Well, he has the TARDIS workrooms."

"Rose, I really cannot stress enough what a bad idea this is," he said, glancing at Three again, who was watching Rose thoughtfully.

"It would be a worse idea to stay here and risk running into yourself again and extending the paradox," she countered reasonably.

"She has a point," Three said suddenly. "If my deductions are correct, and they nearly always are, then you, sir, are a future regeneration of me. Although I cannot say why you would risk crossing our timeline in this way…or who she is."

"Um," the Doctor said, glancing between the two, then gave up. "Thing is, we had a run in with some Weeping Angels—"

"The quantum locked nuisances?" Three asked.

"Yeah, them," the Doctor said. "But the problem is, they still have _my_ TARDIS in 2007, so we're sort of…stuck. I know how to get out, but the execution of that plan is proving to be a little…elusive."

"I see," Three said. "I take it you need some mechanical parts that are not readily available in this time?"

"Exactly," the Doctor said. "I really just need a digital video recorder and an autocue, and no, the one from thirty-third century Trifandor won't work," he added quickly when Three opened his mouth. "It needs to be compatible with something in 2007."

"I'm sure it would be easily modified," Three said. "All one would need to do is remove the gyroscope and quantum pulley, and you'd have something closer to what you're looking for."

"A gyroscope on a camera revolutionize filmmaking," Rose said, suddenly interested. "Only…what's a quantum pulley?"

"It's…not important," the Doctor said, running a hand over his face. "Can we please just go?"

"In a moment," Three said, and the Doctor groaned. "I would first like to know how this young lady has come to know so much about us. Memory suppression isn't something I share with assistants regularly."

"Oh, I know all about you," Rose said with a smile. "You're the one who made everyone think you were a loon because you were obsessed with your shoes."

Three blinked at her, then looked at the Doctor, who tugged at his ear uncomfortably. "Yeah…Rose knows…well…everything, really. She's not my assistant. She's…my wife. That's why you recognized her."

"But just being married wouldn't have any bearing on the situation," Three said, confused. "Not unless…oh my," he stopped, his face clearing as he stared at Rose again. "You've bonded with her. But she's not even a Time Lady. I wonder what could possess me to do that."

"She's…very persuasive," the Doctor said. "Now can we please go?"

"Yes, yes of course," Three said, turning quickly. "I have my car around the corner. We really should get back to headquarters as soon as possible and fix your problem before the timeline becomes destabilized any further."

"What a novel idea," the Doctor said, and Rose smirked. "I wonder why I didn't think of that."

oOoOo

Between two fast talking Doctors and strategic use of the psychic paper, they managed to make it into UNIT HQ without incident. Rose could feel her Doctor's unease growing as time passed, and she'd caught him looking at Three strangely a couple of times. When she shot him questioning looks, though, he just shook his head, locking down any stray thoughts from passing to her. She smirked, though, when Three opened the car door for her with a little bow and a charming smile, and her Doctor snorted and rolled his eyes. No misreading _that_ reaction.

"You really shouldn't be jealous of yourself," she whispered as they made their way to Three's lab.

"I'm not," he said, taking her hand. "That would be absurd. No. Obviously not. Just…he's so…"

"Charming?" she asked with a grin. "Funny? Brilliant? God, he almost sounds like you. Oh, wait…"

"He's not me, Rose," he said quietly. "He's got a long way to go before he's me…and a lot of pain to endure."

Rose looked up at him, suddenly realizing just how hard it must be for this Doctor to be around his younger self for any length of time regardless of paradox. Depending on where they were in his timeline, he still had so many things to go through, and they were still centuries from the Time War.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't…I just thought—"

"I know," he said, giving her a tight smile and pulling her close for a moment. "He can help. It's just…not particularly easy to be around him. And really, I have a terrible track record when it comes to running into myself. We tend not to get along."

"That's because you all think you're the smartest ones in the room," she teased.

"Well, the real problem is that we all _are_," he said with a grin, some of the sadness in his eyes melting away as they turned into the lab. He froze, though, when they saw Three talking to a man in uniform and a woman.

"Ah, yes, here they are," Three said, gesturing to them expansively. "My future self with, apparently, my future wife."

"You do realize that it would have made things infinitely easier if you'd said we were just John and Rose Tyler," the Doctor said, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. "Just a couple of people who came to you for help. This…complicates things."

"Not particularly," Three said easily. "The Brigadier here thinks you're imposters, and Liz believes you're completely insane. So it doesn't really matter what I've told them."

"Well, in that case," Rose snorted and the Doctor just shook his head.

"Let's just get to work," he said, moving toward the TARDIS and pulling out his key. He flashed a cocky grin at Liz and the Brigadier as he unlocked the TARDIS and slipped inside, making Rose giggle and Three smile.

"Well, there you are," Three said, following the Doctor. "Only I have a key to my TARDIS."

"Not…strictly true," Rose said. "That you is a bit more…lax about all that. Although that's probably not helping my case much."

"Not particularly no," Three said, shaking his head at her.

"Are you coming?" the Doctor demanded, popping his head out and wearing a frown and his specs. "I'd like to get this done today."

"Yes, of course," Three said, and the Doctor disappeared back into the TARDIS. "I've become a bit pushy."

"Become?" Liz asked, and Rose laughed when Three pulled a face at her before disappearing as well.

"So he said you're from 2007," the Brigadier said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Um, yeah, more or less," she said with a shrug. "It's a bit…complicated."

"That seems to be the case with him more often than not," he said, nodding a little. "But your Doctor has a functioning TARDIS?"

"Yeah," she sighed, suddenly very much missing the ship. She studied the one in front of her thoughtfully, wondering if the whole interdimensional aspect of her would make her able to recognize Rose now, or maybe even her bond would create that same strange ripple-back effect as the Doctor.

"So why can't he help the current Doctor fix his TARDIS?" Liz asked. "I thought it was just a matter of some stolen knowledge. Your Doctor could give that back."

"No, he can't," Rose said, shaking her head. "The Doctor affects too many things in the universe between now and the time I meet him. Changing the course of any of that now could disrupt an entire causal nexus, ripping a hole in the fabric of reality."

They both stared at her. "Well, you certainly sound as if you could be the Doctor's wife," the Brig commented after a moment. "In as much as I have no idea what you just said, other than that it sounds unpleasant."

"Very," she said, chewing on her lip. "Brigadier, are you going to make a file on me?"

He started in surprise. "Well…yes. I'll need to."

"And I can't stop you?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, no," he said.

"Alright, then, do me a favor," she said. "Make a note in there not to mention me unless I'm with him, and not to refer to me as his wife unless he specifically says I am."

"I…can arrange that," he said.

"But why?" Liz asked.

"He tends to play hopscotch in timelines," she said with a shrug. "And he won't remember this after today. If I'm mentioned before he's met me, or worse, if it's mentioned that I'm his _wife_ either before he's met me or before he's…been willing to do that, it could be disastrous for both of us."

"Of course," the Brigadier said. "I'll make sure that something is said in both your files. But what do you mean he won't remember any of this?"

"Being around himself at all creates a paradox," Rose explained. "Another big, universe collapsing problem. There used to be a way to control it…well, I suppose you'll see. Anyway, that's not possible for this case. So the Doctor, your Doctor, will lock the memory of me and _my_ Doctor away. So you can't mention us…not ever."

The other two glanced at each other and murmured their assent; she nodded her thanks and took a seat, crossing her legs and picking at her nails while she waited for the Doctors to get done with whatever they were doing in there.

oOoOo

The two Doctors quickly decided that agreeing on how to make either the autocue or the digital recorder was simply not going to happen, so they divided up the work instead, Three creating the autocue and inputting the transcript the Doctor gave him, and the Doctor cobbling together a recorder that would be compatible with the DVDs of Sally Sparrow's era.

"Two thousand seven," Three said thoughtfully as he worked. "Nearly 40 years. Although, something tells me that it's been longer than that for you."

"A bit, yeah," the Doctor said, not looking up.

"Not easy years either, by the look of you. Young body…but old eyes. You almost look like one of the ancients, the warriors." The Doctor didn't say anything, but grew tense as he felt Three's eyes continue to watch him. "And you couldn't call the Time Lords for help when you were displaced," Three added, and the Doctor winced before shaking his head. "It seems I'll be taking my renegade status a bit further by the time I'm you."

"You could say that," the Doctor said carefully, not wanting to continue the discussion. Three was naturally curious, but also should know better than to ask too much about his own future. The Doctor had a hard time being around him, however, knowing how little this arrogant man had really been through in comparison to what he would have to suffer over the next few centuries.

"Because of the human?" Three asked, and the Doctor smirked. _The human._

"It's not because of Rose, no," he said, glancing up at him. "She…you'll meet her when you need her most. After…after everything burns, you'll meet her," he said, his eyes unfocusing as he remembered the void his life had been just before he'd met Rose, especially compared to what it was now.

"And she'll make it all worthwhile, will she?" Three asked doubtfully.

"I don't know," the Doctor said honestly, his eyes focusing on Three again for a second before looking down quickly at his work. "The…scope is too big, I think, to say it's worthwhile, to be sure of that. But," he added, glancing back at the door, then back at Three. "I wouldn't trade her for any of it either. One day, when you forget why…any of it. Why you're still running after too many years, after you've seen so many fall either because of you or for you, after you've watched worlds burn and empires fall to ash…when you forget what it's like to actually _live_, instead of just _survive_…you'll meet a tiny pink and yellow human who will surprise you, and challenge you, and terrify you, and make you happier than you've ever been in your incredibly long life. So I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…for everything you have coming, and for all the horror and pain you'll suffer…I'm sorry for how lonely you'll feel…but…by the time you're me, and you're here…you'll be less alone than you've ever been."

"That certainly sounds worthwhile," Three said, looking down. "I suppose now…I just wish I'd be able to remember it. Because if what you say is true, then I have a very long road ahead of me, and one with quite a few of obstacles. I think, perhaps, that just once, it would be nice to know that something will eventually balance out the scales."

The Doctor didn't say anything, but now wondered if he hadn't kept something of that, somewhere. After all, even suppressed memories weren't completely gone. He tried to think back, to determine whether that seemingly bottomless pool of hope had a source that was simply beyond his recollection. Most likely, he'd never know. But the idea that, long before he'd met her, his amazing wife had pulled him through the worst of life's trials, made him smile; if anyone could do that, it was her.

_Aren't you two done __**yet**__?_

The Doctor grinned as he heard Rose in his mind at the same time he heard her key scrape against the lock on the door.

"Yep," he said as she walked in. "All done. Molto bene."

All three looked up when the TARDIS gave a sudden happy hum. "Aww, I miss you too!" Rose said happily, running up and stroking the console.

"Well, that's very strange," Three said, staring at her in surprise once again. "The TARDIS doesn't usually react like that to anyone, except maybe me. And usually she seems more irritated with me than anything."

"That's because you won't stop bothering her with superfluous repairs," Rose said, looking up at him with a cheeky, tongue in teeth grin, and the Doctor smirked when his younger self appeared a little flustered. "She looks different than our time though. Now I see what Sarah Jane was talking about."

"Do you like it?" the Doctor asked, glancing around.

"It's nice, yeah," Rose said. "I like our coral better, though."

"Me too," he said with a grin. "Right, if we're all set here, we should really get going. Think we could get a lift back to our flat, Doctor?"

oOoOo

The Doctor chatted happily with Rose Tyler and his future self, even while surveying them in slight bemusement as he drove them back to their rented flat. The idea that he would be married again wasn't entirely surprising, but to actually be bonded as well, and so strongly that he could recognize her even now, was astonishing. Even more so was his future self's complete ease around her. She certainly wasn't a Time Lady, but she wasn't quite human either. But while most people of Gallifrey shied away from casual touches, given how much could be conferred that way, this future self seemed to almost crave the touch of this girl. Perhaps because of the bond…or perhaps…no. He couldn't have really _fallen_ _in love_ with her.

At this thought, he studied them far more closely, and realized that this was indeed the case. Not only that, but Rose Tyler was genuinely in love with him as well…even knowing everything about him, both the things he himself was aware of, and the horrors he apparently had yet to witness. He was well aware that he already had a habit of holding himself apart and often above others, preferring now to have assistants that were merely that…someone to pass him test tubes, and only slightly less than completely interchangeable. It was easier for everyone that way, easier if people simply saw him for his mind rather than as a man, because who he was…wasn't something that anyone would really want to see anyway.

Except Rose Tyler, apparently. She surprised him by leaning up to kiss him on the cheek when he stepped out of the car to say goodbye to the pair, while his older self simply smirked and put an arm around her as she stepped back toward him. He stammered some goodbyes after that, retreating quickly to the car. He did think, however, that perhaps being that future self wouldn't be so bad. The road might be long and arduous, but he couldn't remember a time he looked quite as happy as this future self seemed to be. He honked the horn twice, planning to use it for a trigger, and saw his older self grin in the rear view mirror as his memories of this moment came back to him, leaning down to kiss his bride just as the Doctor had hoped he would.

Not so bad at all.


	47. Off Again

_**And the wrap-up. It went a little quick, but I think I got everything in there. You'll get an interlude Tuesday, but then we'll start on the Master arc on Thursday. I sort of feel like I have the Sword of Damocles over my head right now while I work on it.**_

_**Glad you all liked Three's cameo! I might see if I can work in another one sometime, aside from Five in Time Crash. We'll see. Thanks as always for the reviews and whatnot...you're all super!**_

* * *

"But I don't understand," Martha said as she helped the Doctor and Rose set up the equipment in the living room. "This is the past. How could he have recognized her?"

"It's the bond," the Doctor said, not glancing up. "He's me, I'm him, he's just a little younger, but he can still feel it, or at least a sort of echo of it. It sort of…ripples back in time."

"But then shouldn't you have recognized her when you first met her?" Martha asked.

"Maybe I did," he said with a shrug. "I did ask twice. Doesn't happen…well, ever really. Only Rose."

"Yeah, but you did that the first time too," Rose said, handing him the camera to set on the tripod. "And we definitely didn't get married."

"True," he admitted. "But I still thought you were extraordinary. Must have, or I wouldn't have asked you at all, much less twice. I don't know. Maybe it took me longer the first time…what was a minute or two for you was a few months for me. Maybe the first time it was a few years. Or maybe it wasn't different at all. No real way of telling now. Past affects the future affects the past…it hadn't happened yet, so he wouldn't have recognized it yet, but now that it has, he would."

"And that's how you live your life?" Martha asked, stopping and staring at him. "Anything that happens could affect anywhen, anywhere…and you just sort of…go with it?"

"Keeps me on my toes," he said a grin.

"Best to just sort of think of things happening one after another rather than try to sort out the actual timeline," Rose advised. "You'll go mad trying to make sense of it all. It's all very…wibbley wobbley."

"And timey-wimey," the Doctor added, stepping back and surveying his handiwork for the home movie studio. "Oh, I like that. I should use that. Wibbley wobbley timey-wimey. Eh, maybe not. Doesn't exactly sound like a technical term, does it?"

"Yeah, not like 'magic door'," Rose said with a smirk.

"That's spatio-temporal hyperlink," the Doctor said seriously. "And I thought we didn't talk about that."

"Right," Rose snorted. "Cause we're in the honeymoon stage, yeah? Best not bring up the time you were a royal—"

"Oi!" he cried, and Rose started giggling. Martha rolled her eyes at the pair of them just as Billy burst in, a huge grin on his face. "Oh, here comes trouble," the Doctor said, turning quickly from his giggling wife. "Good day, then?"

"Naturally," Billy said, swinging Martha around in an impromptu waltz before releasing her again smoothly. "Got a job. In publishing no less. Start Monday."

"Brilliant!" the Doctor said, shaking his hand. "And now we've got what we need for that video of yours. Now, you see Martha, I told you it would all work out."

"Yeah, you just needed to spend an afternoon with yourself," she said. "God, you know, I swear, I could've sworn someone suggested that—"

"Anyway," he interrupted smoothly, and the girls exchanged a grin. "What do you say we sort out this video? With any luck, once that's through…"

"Off into time and space?" Rose asked.

"Here's hoping," he said fervently, turning on the equipment and sitting on a stool in front of the blanket Rose had hung as a backdrop. "Now, I've got Sally's half of the conversation on the autocue, which should keep things flowing…naturally. Rose, you'll be back there controlling the speed. Don't let me get too out of hand. You know my gob."

"And what about us?" Martha asked, indicating her and Billy.

"You two…just…stay out of trouble," he said. "Right, Rose?"

Rose nodded, hit the record button and started the autocue. It was strange, hearing him respond to the autocue, knowing that the camera was recording only half of the conversation.

"I'm a time traveler," the Doctor was saying when she tuned into his side of the conversation. "Or I was. I'm stuck in 1969."

"_We're_ stuck," Martha explained hurriedly, jumping into frame. "All of space and time, he promised me. Now I've got a job in a shop, I've got to support him and his new lady wife!"

"Rose," the Doctor said, nodding at Martha.

"Sorry," she said, jumping forward. "Hello," she said, giving the camera a little wave before tugging Martha away and shushing her. The Doctor shook his head at both of them as she returned to the autocue and started it rolling again.

"Quite possibly," the Doctor said, turning his attention back to the situation at hand. Rose went back to paying attention for cues that she needed to speed up or slow down the autocue until she heard: "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey…stuff."

_Just had to get it in there, did you?_ she asked him with a smile. _Not your best explanation ever of time._

"It…got away from me, yeah," he said, replying to both her and Sally at once. "Well, I _can_ hear you." Pause. "Not hear you exactly, but I know everything you're going to say."

The rest of the recording passed without incident, Rose only having to pause the autocue a couple of times during some of the Doctor's more detailed explanations. He gave her a questioning look when the autocue stopped, and she shrugged, indicated that there wasn't anything left.

"And that's it, I'm afraid," he said. "There's no more from you on the transcript, that's all I've got. I dunno what stopped you talking, but I can guess. They're coming. The angels are coming for you. But listen, your life could depend on this. Don't blink! Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink! Good luck!"

"So now what?" Martha asked as the Doctor and Rose reviewed the recording.

"Well…we wait," the Doctor said, pulling the recording out and handing it to Billy. "You know what to do with that, yeah?"

"Easter egg," Billy said. "Yes."

"Hold on, wait for what, exactly?" Martha asked. "It's not like the TARDIS is going to suddenly magically materialize here, right?"

"Probably not here, no," the Doctor said, then froze at the same time as Rose. Martha stared at them both for a second as they looked at each other and started beaming. "Nope, not here…but close. Martha, grab whatever you want to take with you, right now."

"We're leaving?" she asked, stunned.

"Yep," he said happily. "TARDIS is…probably at Wester Drummlins. Doesn't matter, we'll find her. Point is, she's here. Our TARDIS. Ha!"

"Billy, the flat's paid through next month," Rose said quickly. "You can keep on after that, or find somewhere else if you want. Your choice. Oh…and thank you," she added, smiling at him before kissing his cheek quickly. She started for the door, but stopped, darting back into her bedroom for a moment. She came back out carrying the garment bag that held her wedding dress, and the Doctor smiled softly as she hurried out the door he was holding open for her.

"Billy," he said, holding out his hand. "Good luck. And…for what it's worth…I really am sorry," he added, his face looking contrite.

"Yeah," he said. "But looks like I'll do it, eh? Your…box wouldn't have come back for you if I didn't."

"True enough," the Doctor said. "Thank you."

Martha stopped to give him a hug, thanking him as well, before heading out and down the stairs. Rose was at the bottom, pulling Jamie out the door toward a taxi, and the Doctor touched her back lightly to urge her after them. The four of them piled into the taxi, Rose and the Doctor explaining back and forth what was happening at a rapid rate.

When they got to Wester Drummlins, the Doctor cautioned the other three to be on the lookout again for any stray angels until they got to the TARDIS. How the other two knew where to find the ship was completely beyond, Martha, but she followed anyway, letting out the same squeal of glee that Rose did on seeing the blue box. Rose immediately ran forward to unlock the door with the key that once again hung around her neck on the chain with the hearts, but the Doctor lunged forward to stop her.

"There's one last human tradition I'd like to do," he said with a grin, and Rose laughed as he caught her behind the knees with one arm, sweeping her up into his arms. "Martha, if you would be so kind."

"But of course," she said, stepping around him and pulling out her key to unlock the doors and open them both. She smiled as the Doctor carried Rose into their home, unconventional though it might have been…and laughed outright when the Lord of Time nearly dropped his bride as the TARDIS started blaring a full orchestra recording of Mendelssohn's Wedding March, lights flashing all around the console room.

"I think she approves," he shouted over the music.

"Oh, d'you think?" Rose yelled back with a grin. The Doctor set her on her feet lightly as the music faded, replaced by happy hums from the spaceship. "Oh, we missed you too, girl!"

"_This _is where you live?" Jamie asked in a stunned voice, following them into the ship.

"Yep," the Doctor said. "It's called a TARDIS."

"That's Time and Relative Dimension In Space," Rose added with a grin.

"It's a time machine, and a spaceship, and apparently psychic," Martha chimed in.

"And it's bigger on the inside," Jamie said, trying to absorb it all.

"Yes, it is," the Doctor said, beaming. "What d'you think?"

"I think…it's wonderful," Jamie said. "Is it copywrited? Can I use this in a story? What if I make it…like…just a regular phone box, rather than a police box? Could that work?"

"Well, you know," Rose said, sidling over to where he stood examining the console. "You could always come with us for a trip. Maybe see a little of what's out there, rather than just what's inside your head."

"I…no," he said, shaking his head. "I mean, I'd love to…but…I like what's inside my head. Especially now that I've talked to you three…there's so much _more_. But my family's already been through enough with extraterrestrial encounters, I think. Terra firma is where I'm best for now. But thank you. Honestly."

"Understood," the Doctor said.

"But listen…you ever find yourself around my time again," Jamie said with a smile. "Look me up."

"No doubt," Rose said. "_Especially_ if we've got Jack with us," she added with a grin. The Doctor rolled his eyes and Martha giggled, while Jamie looked mildly intrigued.

"Definitely then," he said. "But now…oh, the places you have to see. Do me a favor…let me know if there's something especially prize-winning, yeah?"

"Will do," Martha said.

"And…tell you what…only ten years til Ian Drury and the Blockheads," the Doctor said, while Rose laughed and shook her head. "You're gonna love it."

oOoOo

The Doctor did take manage to take Jamie on one trip…to his parents' house, so that the travelling trio could say goodbye to Nancy and Andrew. Nancy, of course, would not settle for this, and they ended up staying for dinner before managing to get away again. They dropped Jamie off back at his flat, and said another good bye to Billy after giving him his own abbreviated tour of the TARDIS. Martha had insisted on this, given how long Billy had tried to get in it when it was in his Wester Drummlins collection. They again wished him luck on his new life before finally taking their leave of 1969, when Rose decided there was one more stop they needed to make before they could fully put the adventure behind them.

oOoOo

Sally Sparrow was hunched over the books, concentrating on her accounting skills, or, rather, lack thereof. Larry, however, was even worse, and she was determined to get the mess straightened out before she went home today. She'd promised Larry a shop-free evening, and that meant not having the accounting nightmare looming over her head all night.

The bell jingled, but she didn't look up. "Welcome to Sparrow and Nightingale's. Let me know if there's anything in particular you're looking for."

"I thought…you might want this back," a voice said, and she glanced up to see a DVD held out to her. Her eyes widened, and she looked up further into the large brown eyes of the Doctor.

"Oh my god," she said, staring at him, then Rose at his side. "Then it's happened to you as well? 1969?"

"And we would've been lost without you," Rose said with a smile. "You and your folder. We just wanted to drop by and return this…and say thank you."

"How are you and…what was his name?" the Doctor asked.

"Larry," Sally answered automatically, still stunned.

"Right, Larry," he said, nodding. "How are you two doing?"

"We're…we're good, yeah," Sally said. "Still rubbish at weddings?"

"Not as much as I used to be, apparently," he said with a grin, wrapping an arm around Rose.

"Sally, aren't you done yet?" Larry asked as he walked into the shop, shaved and scrubbed up surprisingly nicely for their night out. "Only our reservation is for seven, and it's nearly—"

He stopped when the other two turned to him, staring in the same stunned disbelief he had when he'd seen them outside the shop six months ago.

"Ah, Larry," the Doctor said, beaming at him and coming forward to shake his hand. "Transcriptionist extraordinaire. Couldn't have done it without you either."

"They came to return the DVD," Sally explained with a smile.

"Yeah, course they did," Larry said, eyes wide. "'Cause that's what you do when you have all of time and space at your disposal, innit? Return a DVD. 'Cause that happened all the time, when I worked at the video store. Except they usually used that as an excuse to not return it on time. Um." He laughed self-consciously, and the Doctor gave him an awkward smile while tugging on his ear uncomfortably.

"Right," the Doctor said. "Well…just wanted to give you that…and say thanks again, for everything."

"Where are you off to now?" Sally asked.

"Intergalactic spa," Rose said, beaming as the Doctor cringed.

"You're kidding," Sally said with a laugh. "Oh, wait…the honeymoon."

"And payment of a debt," the Doctor said, but didn't seem to want to go into any more detail than that. "At any rate, we should really…"

"Yeah, Martha'll be wondering about us soon," Rose said reluctantly. "It was nice to see you again Sally…Larry."

"Yeah, you too," Sally said, coming around the counter to wrap an arm around Larry's waist as the couple moved toward the door. "Good luck with…whatever else comes."

"Thanks," the Doctor said as they walked out the door. He paused, holding on to the frame. "You two…just…be brilliant together."

"Yeah…I think we will," Sally said, smiling up at Larry as the travelers left for the last time.


	48. Practice Sessions

_**Yes, they finally made it to the spa...resort...whatever. A little down time for team TARDIS before things get sticky again. This one was actually really difficult to write, partially because there's a lot of bits and bobs that I wanted to include before I moved on, but also because picturing the Doctor on vacation at all, much less any sort of *honeymoon* is so odd. Happy, calm Doctor is a strange thing to write...well, sort of calm. They are newlyweds.**_

* * *

"Concentrate," the Doctor said quietly. "Remember what I told you. Put a barrier around that place in your mind, and put a gate in it. You control the gate…you control what goes past it, what doesn't. Now, close it down. I'll still feel you, but I don't want to feel any thoughts from you. _Especially not those ones_," he said, opening his eyes suddenly with a groan, shifting uncomfortably in his cross-legged position.

"I'm trying," Rose said. "But you know, when you go around in those shorts and your shirt all unbuttoned like that—"

"You told me I should relax, shed some layers," he countered.

"Yeah, well, excuse me if I like the way my husband looks without his layers," she said, eyeing the toned and, as of late, tanned abs and chest revealed by his shirt.

"Well, I've got _that_ as a distraction," he said, waving vaguely at Rose, who was wearing a bikini with a sarong tied around her waist. "And I'm managing."

"You've also had 900 years of practice," she said. "I've had…what, three weeks? How about a little slack? This was _supposed_ to be a vacation."

"Rose…" He trailed off, scrubbing a hand down his face before leaning his elbow on his knee and resting his face in his hand as he studied her. She could feel the simmering hunger as he watched her, but also his anxiety about their well-being. If something happened, if someone found a way to use their bond against him simply because her desire for a vacation outweighed her desire for safety, she'd never forgive herself.

"Alright, alright," she said, closing her eyes and shifting as she relaxed her body and tried to concentrate on what he had been trying to tell her. "Barrier, gate, close the gate," she muttered.

When she'd locked herself away from Cassandra, it had been instinctive, and aided by the TARDIS. The Doctor had instructed the ship not to help her while they were working on it in relative safety, because she wouldn't always necessarily be able to rely on that.

She knew that part of the reason she was having trouble was the irrational fear that somehow, if she walled it off, she'd lose that presence in her mind. He'd explained to her more than once that this wasn't going to happen, that it couldn't, but she couldn't help it.

_I'm right here, love_, he whispered in her mind. _I'm not going anywhere. Now, __**concentrate.**_

She did. She did what he said, picturing a steel wall around his presence in her mind, her thoughts bouncing off of it. Aside from the fact that it would be far easier for a telepathic being to detect their bond if she couldn't control her thoughts, part of his need for her to master this was his own horror at the idea of not having privacy in his own head—the emptiness had been bad, but the idea of someone being able to read any one of his thoughts at any given time was a nightmare, bordering on a phobia. She hadn't known til she'd seen his version of events how uncomfortable he'd been about Reinette invading his thoughts, even if it had been accidental and eventually helped him in some ways. He didn't ever want Rose to feel intruded upon, to feel obligated to share everything simply because she couldn't keep it from him.

She pictured the heavy door that only she could open, testing it for strength, opening it to let little, benign thoughts through, and hearing him giggle as she let _Moses supposes his toeses are roses_ through before closing it again. He sighed, a little regretfully, and she figured that meant that she was locked tight. They stayed still for another moment, and she was fine…until she felt his hand gently caress her arm, making her shiver slightly.

There were stages. First, she needed to be able to lock it down on her own, which would get more difficult when she was stressed in some way, scared or angry, so she needed to master it calm, make it reflex. Then, she needed to be able to keep it locked down when they touched, which was considerably more difficult, because the bond itself intensified.

In her mind, the door began to shake, but she took a long, slow breath, calming herself down as she concentrated, and it began to settle. She could still feel him just as strongly, but he squeezed her arm a little to let her know that her presence in his mind was still silent, not wanting to break her concentration with anything more sudden.

She hated that it was so easy for him, even with her snippy comment earlier. He'd said the same thing when she'd gotten frustrated in the beginning—it hadn't always been so easy for him, either, and he'd had to learn to control his barriers as well as what he let through at the same time, with far harsher instructors. They tended to smack him upside the head if he got lazy and let stray thoughts through, or send random mental attacks at him when he was least expecting it. It was almost all reflex at this point, though he did have to put in some effort to lock himself away effectively from the bond. She couldn't help liking the fact that even he couldn't keep his thoughts from her when they made love, though.

With that thought, and some searing memories that came with it, the door burst open, and the Doctor growled a second before she found herself pulled into his lap, one arm holding her tightly to him while his other hand buried itself in her hair, tugging her head down for a hard kiss as her own hands scraped over his scalp.

Evidently, the practice session was over.

oOoOo

"I'm sorry," Rose said, hours later when they were getting ready to meet Martha for dinner.

"What for?" he asked, frowning at her in the mirror as she put on her earrings.

"For not being able to…lock it all down better," she said. "I really am trying."

"Rose, you haven't done anything wrong," he said gently, standing behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "I promise you. And you don't have to keep it locked down. It's about control. You're getting there. You're doing exactly what you need to be doing, testing it the way you are. And you're much better now at controlling them reflexively, even though you might not realize it. I'm not getting bombarded by your thoughts the way I was a few weeks ago."

"But during these 'practice sessions', it still seems…difficult," she said, frowning.

"That's just because you're focusing on it more," he said. "So obviously you're going to notice more when it's working and when it's not. But that doesn't mean you haven't made any progress. If it helps, it still takes some effort even from me to keep thoughts from leaking through to you when we touch. You're doing fine."

"Really?" she asked, looking at him uncertainly.

"Really," he said, smiling a little. "To be honest, you're actually doing remarkably well for someone with no previous training or experience. But I think that is a sign of having an amazing tutor."

"So full of yourself," she said, rolling her eyes before she turned, looping her arms loosely around his neck as his hands settled on her hips.

"You're brilliant, Rose Tyler," he said softly, leaning down to rest his forehead on hers. "Don't forget that. You're fine," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "And you're beautiful," he added, kissing her nose. "And I love you," he finished before pressing his lips to hers gently.

"Always," she whispered, snuggling into his chest and moving her arms down around his waist as his arms wrapped around her, his cheek resting on the top of her head. He made a happy, contented sound in the back of his throat, his thumb moving lightly over her shoulder as she sighed, never feeling more at home and secure as she did in her husband's arms.

oOoOo

"God, I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you without at least your jacket in public," Martha commented as the happy couple finally made an appearance at the bar, before signaling the maître d.

"Don't," the Doctor cautioned. "This makes me…twitchy enough."

Since a beach with at least a similar enough sun to tan them had been in the stipulations about their spa vacation, Rose had insisted on doing away with the heavy coat, suit jacket, and tie until they left. Martha was still stunned that she'd gotten that far, but completely astonished at the fact that he'd even gone so far as to dig out shorts, swim trunks, and short sleeve button downs, which he tended to wear unbuttoned on the beach and off completely in the water. She was glad now that her crush on him had abated, because even knowing he was just a friend hadn't been able to stop her from admiring his lean form when all the layers had been taken away. Rose was a lucky woman.

Granted, the pair of them had been drawing looks since they'd shown up. Martha couldn't really blame them. Tall, fit man and a stunning blonde that had legs that went on for days…Martha had caught quite a few disappointed looks as people realized they had eyes only for each other. She'd been surprised, though…except for their practice sessions that varied wildly in length, they hadn't left her on her own any huge amount, not to the point where it felt like they were on two separate vacations, the way she'd nearly expected, honeymoon and all. Instead, they had actually been warmer to her than usual, far more at ease and open. She wasn't sure if it was because of the lack of secrets between them now, or the relaxation of the vacation, or the fact that they were both genuinely happy finally, or some combination of the three, but she'd grown closer to them over the last couple of weeks than she'd managed to in the last year of travelling with them.

"So how's the mind meld thing going?" she asked as they took their seats, sipping cocktails in candlelight as a singer crooned about a love lost on Renginia 5.

"Slowly," Rose said, sounding frustrated.

"It's going fine," the Doctor said quickly, looking at her. "Although…it'd be easier if someone was able to control some of their…cravings a bit more."

"Cravings?" Martha asked, and the Doctor arched an eyebrow at her. "Oh, right. Cravings. Newlyweds. But, hold on, I'd think, now that it doesn't hurt anymore, you'd be a bit…insatiable yourself," she added.

He sucked in a breath, looking up at the stage. "Well…it'd probably be going even better if I didn't find it so hard to resist her…cravings as well. And just 'not hurting'…doesn't begin to describe how completely amazing—"

"Whoa, nelly," she said quickly, holding up a hand as Rose laughed. "I don't think I want all the details of your telepathic sex life, thanks."

"You started it," he said, smirking.

"Yeah, whatever," she said, shaking her head. "So is it getting easier, keeping your thoughts to yourself?"

"Supposedly," Rose said with a shrug. "I can't always tell when it's working and when it's not."

"The…barrier in her mind is set," the Doctor said, trying, without a whole lot of success, to use gestures to illustrate his point. "That she got down in the first couple of practice sessions. It's the gate she's having trouble with…controlling what goes through and what doesn't. But she's getting better. What I _am _surprised about is that you don't seem to have a whole lot of trouble sending things on purpose," he added to Rose.

"How do you mean?" Martha asked.

"There's a big difference between just letting things sort of bleed through, and actually consciously sending something," he said. "But we can have whole conversations in our heads. Which…should come in handy. No more need for phones that some people break."

"Oh my god," Rose said, exasperated as Martha choked on her drink at the Doctor's innocent face. "Kept my phone for two years just fine, unless you count the one you had me leave with Mickey, and then _you_ insisted I get a new one, and it falls out of my pocket when I'm kidnapped, and suddenly I'm the girl who breaks phones."

"Well, yeah," he said, then ducked away with a grin as she swatted at his head. "But seriously, it'll help, and it's impressive that you're already able to do that much on your own."

"Been talking to your ship for two years, haven't I?" she reminded him.

"Yeah, but even she said you were good from the start," the Doctor countered. "Not to mention the way you're apparently able to understand _Gallifreyan_ now. I don't even _know_ how that happened."

"I told you, I don't…understand it," she said vaguely. "I just…sort of…know what it says."

"Yeah," he said, his face turning thoughtful.

"Well, she's got bonds with you and the ship, right?" Martha said, and he frowned at her. "Maybe it's something about the two. Some of your knowledge, plus the way the TARDIS translates."

"That's…actually not a bad idea," he said slowly. "The translation circuit isn't supposed to work on Gallifreyan as a rule, but if the knowledge is already there…" He trailed off, staring into space as his hand froze mid-gesture. His head starting tilting slowly to the side, and Martha waved a hand in front of him quickly, recognizing the tell-tale signs of the Doctor off on some puzzle.

"Figure it out later," she said. "Dinner now."

He grinned at her, then up at the waiter who'd made a sudden appearance. They placed their orders before diving back into conversation.

"How come the TARDIS doesn't translate your own language?" Martha asked curiously.

"Safety measure," he said with a shrug.

"And that's why all the controls and monitors and things are in Gallifreyan?" she asked.

Rose snorted. "Nah, that's just 'cause he likes being the only one who knows what it says. He could set it to any language he likes."

"It's not that," the Doctor said, frowning. "I just…like it that way, that's all."

"Riiight," Rose said with a laugh. "And you don't get the slightest thrill of superiority that we always have to ask you what the monitor says."

"I…it's just…you know, when you get your own psychic spaceship, you can run it however you like," he snapped, rolling his eyes dramatically as both girls started giggling.

"So, I have a question," Martha said as the food arrived and the girls finally managed to pull themselves together. "What happens if either of you dies?"

"That's a bit morbid, Martha," the Doctor said with a frown.

"Sorry," she said with a shrug. "I'm just curious. Too much A&E, probably. But what would happen? Would the bond just…disappear?"

The Doctor was quiet for a moment, pushing his food around on his plate, and Martha felt bad for bringing it up. She was about to tell him to forget it when he spoke quietly.

"It would hurt," he said, looking up at her. "A lot. The survivor would feel whatever had killed the other, then pain as the bond disintegrated. And then…it wouldn't just be gone. It would leave a hollow, a space where it had been, leaving the survivor even emptier than they were to begin with."

"But…you said you used to feel all the Time Lords in your head," Martha said, stunned.

"Yeah," he said shortly, looking down at his plate again.

So not only had he lost…everything…it hadn't just been emptiness he'd felt. It had been a huge gaping hole left behind by an entire doomed race. Martha couldn't even begin to wrap her mind around how lonely that must have been…or how good it must feel now to have _something_ there again. She was suddenly more glad than ever that she'd pushed him to talk to Rose—especially when she saw Rose looking at him intently before he shivered slightly and looked up at her, the two holding each other's gaze for a moment before he nodded a little, smiling weakly.

"Well, good thing neither of us plans to die anytime soon then," Rose finally said brightly. "Now how about we move the conversation on to, oh, I dunno, _anything_ else?"

"Yeah, how was your massage with your intergalactic cabana boy this afternoon, Martha?" the Doctor asked, relaxing again slightly as Rose ran a hand over his bicep.

"Delightful," Martha said honestly, more than willing to go along with the change of subject after putting her foot in it so badly. "He had four arms…and knew how to use them."

The rest of dinner passed uneventfully, the Doctor and Rose once again relaxing into their happy state of bliss as they chatted over wine on the beach late into the night. Martha was glad that her blunder hadn't had any lasting effects, but sent a prayer into the universe that nothing would happen to Rose now…she wasn't sure what would happen to the Doctor if he lost something that significant again.


	49. Utopia Part 1

_**Yay, Utopia! Yay, Jack! This is also *gasp* the beginning of the last arc of this story. Granted, it's a long one, but still...crazy. Anyway, seriously psyched to have Jack back...even if he's got some understandable issues at first. I've missed him. Nice to get back to a little bit of action after the necessary but ultra fluffy Blink arc as well.**_

_**Thank you as always to the reviewers and many followers. Allons-y!**_

* * *

"I think I'm going to stop in Cardiff for a bit," the Doctor informed Rose, holding on to the doorframe as he leaned into the library. "The TARDIS has been a bit…sluggish."

"Couldn't hurt," Rose said, glancing up from the book she was reading. "She does feel a little…"

"Worn," he said, nodding. "Right, I'll let you know how long it'll be once we've landed, whether it's worth going out to catch some sights."

She nodded and went back to her book, and he wandered back down the corridor toward the console room. Martha was there with another book, always the studious doctor in training.

"How go the studies?" he asked.

"Slow," she grumbled. "Think, when I finally go home, you could drop me off twelve hours after I left again? That's the only way I'm ever going to stay ahead."

"I'll work on that," he chuckled. "For now, I've got somewhere else in mind."

"Really?" she asked, putting aside her books as he looked up at the rotor, pulling a lever to land the TARDIS. "Where are we?"

"Cardiff," he said with a grin.

"Cardiff?" she balked.

"Ah, but the thing about Cardiff is that it's built on a rift in time and space," he explained happily. "Just like California and the San Andreas Fault. The rift bleeds energy. Every now and then I need to open up the engines, soak up the energy and use it as fuel."

"So it's a pit stop," she said.

"Exactly," he said, then frowned at the readings on the monitor. "Should only take twenty seconds…the rift's been active."

"Wait a minute," she said. "They had an earthquake in Cardiff a couple years ago. Was that you?"

"Bit of trouble with the Slitheen," he said. "Long time ago. Lifetimes. I was a different man back then."

"That was old leather and trophy handle ears, was it?" Martha asked with a smile.

"That's the one," he said, then dashed around the console as the TARDIS chirped. "Finito. All powered up."

He glanced down at the monitor as he put his hand on a lever, and his blood ran cold. His hand shoved the lever down hard without apparently needing to consult his brain at all, and the TARDIS began to dematerialize. He felt an immediate pang of guilt, but hoped fervently that Rose wouldn't find out...Tyler slaps were never something to look forward to, and he was absolutely certain one would come his way if she found out he'd run from Jack Harkness again.

Just when he thought he was going to get away scot-free, the TARDIS lurched, sparks flying from the console as the whole ship began to shake.

"What's that?" Martha demanded, clinging to the console.

"We're accelerating into the future," he said, waving smoke away from the monitor and dodging sparks. "The year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. Fifty trillion. What? The year one hundred trillion. That's impossible!"

"Why?" Martha asked. "What happens then?"

"We're going to the end of the universe," he said, stunned.

The clutched at the console as the ship hurtled through the vortex, the Doctor shouting at it in his mind, but getting only waves of panic and anger in return, concerning him even more. He looked around warily for a moment when the ship shuddered to a halt before gingerly straightening up. He sent a quick thought to Rose, breathing out when she returned that she was alright, even when it was followed up quickly by a demand to know what the hell had happened, which he ignored for the moment.

"Well…" he said slowly. "We've landed."

"So what's out there?" Martha asked.

"I dunno," he said honestly.

"Say that again," she said with a weak laugh. "That's rare."

"Not even the Time Lords came this far," he admitted. "We should leave. We should go. We should really, really…go."

He looked down at Martha for a moment before grinning brightly, both of them bolting for the door at the same time as he told Rose to join them as soon as possible.

Later, he would think of that moment and wish fervently that he'd taken his own advice and simply left.

oOoOo

Jack gasped painfully as he came back to life once again, clutching at the pretty black woman kneeling next to him. Hopefully that meant he'd managed to hang on through the Vortex…the Doctor did have a way of surrounding himself with pretty girls.

"Oh well, so much for me," the girl cried putting an arm under his shoulders. "It's all right. Just breathe deep. I've got you now."

"Captain Jack Harkness," he said, flashing a grin and touching her chin flirtatiously. "And who are you?"

"Martha Jones," she said with a shy smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones," he said.

"Oh, don't start!" cried a voice nearby, and Jack looked up to see a lean man in a pinstriped suit, long coat, and impossibly good hair staring down at them. Instantly, an old memory flashed through his mind.

_"I swear, he just likes to hear himself talk," Jack said, shaking his head at the Doctor's retreating back as he sauntered away, having just given them yet another lecture on the merits of bananas._

_"You think he's bad now," Rose laughed. "Just wait til you meet him in pinstripes. That one will have a completely unstoppable gob."_

He swallowed hard. "I was just saying hello," he objected, trying to hide his sudden discomfort.

"I don't mind," Martha said, still smiling as she helped him to his feet. Jack stared down the Doctor warily, unable to gauge the other man's impassive face, but feeling the old resentment creeping up on him.

"Doctor," he said finally, more than a little coldly.

"Captain," the Doctor answered.

"Good to see you," he offered, testing the waters.

"And you," the Doctor said, looking him up and down. "Same as ever…although…have you had work done?"

"You can talk!" Jack snorted.

The Doctor stared at him for a second, confused, before his face cleared. "Oh yes, the face. Regeneration. How did you know this was me?"

_Because your dead girlfriend once told me you'd wear pinstripes just before you left me to die on an empty spacestation._

Probably not.

"The police box kinda gives it away," he said instead. "I've been following you for a long time. You abandoned me."

"I…" The Doctor trailed off, and Jack was surprised to see a flicker of emotions cross his face. He could swear he saw traces of guilt and regret, maybe even a twinge of remorse. "I made a mistake. Things happened, and I ran."

Jack stared at him for a moment, stunned. The Doctor _never_ admitted mistakes. Never. He eyed him, wondering now when this regeneration had appeared, and whether it was Rose's influence that had caused this change in him…or her loss.

"I gotta ask," he said finally. "The Battle of Canary Wharf. I saw the list of the dead. It said Rose Tyler."

"Oh, no!" the Doctor said, suddenly coming to life as he darted back to the TARDIS. "Sorry, no. Hang on."

He darted inside the box for a moment, and Jack felt the faint the glimmer of hope light again somewhere dark. It couldn't be. But then the Doctor was back, tugging the tiny blonde from the blue box. She was a little thinner, a little leaner...she was dressed a little better, and her hair color was a little more believable. But it was her. Oh, it was her.

"Rosie!" he cried in disbelief and joy, rushing forward as she stared at him in complete shock. He didn't even hesitate before pulling her into his arms and planting a firm kiss to her lips, dipping her over his arm in his exuberance as she threw one of her arms around his neck. It wasn't long before he heard a very pointed clearing of the throat in the Doctorly direction, though, and he straightened with reluctance, pulling her upright with him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said. "'Hands off the blonde'."

"Yeah," the Doctor said, raising his eyebrows and glancing between them as Rose grinned sheepishly.

"He's just…happy to see me," Rose said. "And, likewise, I might add."

"Yes, well, pardon me if I take some issue with my wife snogging _Jack Harkness_ in front of me," the Doctor said, arching an eyebrow at her when she pulled a face.

"Oh my god, I wasn't—"

"Hang on," Jack interrupted her, pulling away and staring at them. "I don't think I heard that right, because the Doctor _I_ knew was terrified of even touching Rose Tyler, but I'm _pretty_ sure I just heard you call her your wife."

"Yep," the Doctor said, grinning finally. "As of a month ago."

"But that's fantastic!" Jack shouted, putting an arm around both their necks. "Oh, Rose, I gotta ask, he's gotta be good in bed, right? How's the telepathy treating you? Oh, and you really lucked out with this regeneration…not that I had anything against the last one, very bad boy, but this one is definitely easy on the eyes…"

"And that's quite enough of that discussion, thanks," the Doctor said quickly, ducking out from under Jack's arm as Rose giggled.

"Hold on," she said, pulling away as well and finally taking the chance to look around. "This isn't Cardiff. Where are we?"

"End of the universe," Martha piped up. "And, apparently, a high school reunion."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Rose said distractedly. "Sorry, but what're we doin' here? What's _Jack_ doing here?"

The Doctor glanced at Jack guiltily for a second, then shifted completely, taking Rose's hand and pulling her away.

"He sort of came with us," he said. "I'll explain later. For right now...Mrs Tyler, we are going to explore the very edge of knowledge itself. Allons-y!"

oOoOo

As they wandered, both men unconsciously falling into a flanking formation around the girls, Martha asked Jack what he'd meant about the Doctor abandoning him. To his credit, Jack had hesitated, glancing sideways at the Doctor before telling the story. The Doctor hadn't responded, however, and Jack shrugged and started telling her the story of Satellite Five, one the Doctor and Rose had never really told her in detail, while the couple had a quick discussion in their own private way.

_You ran again, didn't you_? she asked him.

_Yeah,_ he admitted with a wince. _I just...it was reflex. My hand was already on the lever when I saw him._

_So how'd he get here?_ she asked, glancing at the captain.

_By being a stubborn arse, _ the Doctor thought with a snort. _He grabbed hold of the TARDIS. That's how we ended up here. She was trying to shake him off._

_You promised, _she thought, and he glanced down to see her large hazel eyes looking up with the strangest mix of hurt and understanding. She got why he'd run again...she didn't like it, but she got it. It was the dash of disappointment, though, that did him in. Anger, he could handle. They could fight to the end of time. But he hated disappointing her. He sighed, running a hand over his face.

_I know, _he thought finally. _I'll talk to him later. I'll explain, I promise._

_And apologize?_

_And apologize, _he thought ruefully. _I'm sorry, Rose._

_I know, _she replied simply, and he heard her sigh a little before wrapping her arms around one of his and leaning into him a little. He bent down to kiss the top of her head lightly, realizing how much worse it could have gone, grateful once again that Rose liked to fly in the face of whatever he was expecting.

"So there I was," Jack was saying when he tuned back into the story. "Stranded in the year 200,100, ankle-deep in Dalek dust, and he goes off without me. How'd you manage that, anyway? I thought you sent the TARDIS off with Rose."

"She doesn't follow directions very well," the Doctor, grinning when Rose poked him in the ribs.

"The ship or the girl?" Jack asked.

"Both," he said with a shrug, and Jack laughed.

"That's my girl," he said.

"_My _girl," the Doctor corrected, arching an eyebrow.

"Whatever. Anyway, I had this," Jack continued, tapping the vortex manipulator strapped to his wrist. "I used to be a Time Agent. It's called a vortex manipulator. He's not the only one who can time travel."

"Oh, excuse me," the Doctor said derisively, pointing at the device. "_That_ is not time travel. It's like I've got a sports car and you've got a space hopper."

"Oho, boys and their toys," Martha said with a laugh.

"Every time," Rose said, shaking her head. "Every time you two get together, it's some sort of gadget war."

"All right, so I bounced," Jack said, giving the Doctor a dirty look. "I thought '21st century, best place to find the Doctor' except that I got it a little wrong. I arrived in 1869 and this thing burnt out so it was useless."

"Told you," the Doctor said with another shrug.

"I had to live through the entire 20th century waiting for a version of you that would coincide with me," Jack continued.

"That makes you more than 100 years old," Martha said incredulously.

"And looking good, don't ya think?" he asked with a chuckle. "So I went to the time rift, based myself there 'cause I knew you'd come back to refuel. Until finally I get a signal on this detecting you and here we are. But I've gotta ask, regardless of the reasoning behind taking off without me…Rose, you knew what was gonna happen. I know you couldn't tell me too much about my own future, and I get that you might not have had a lot of control over the situation, but don't you think you could've given me a _little_ warning?"

The Doctor winced at the look of pain that crossed Rose's face, and the wave of guilt he felt course through her. Again, it was one thing if Jack was angry at him…he could deal with that. He hated that the captain was angry at Rose for something she'd been completely in the dark about.

"I didn't know," she said, quietly. "Really. The first time round, I thought you were dead. The second time…well, I knew you weren't, but I didn't know any of the specifics until a lot later. I'm sorry, Jack."

Jack studied her for a moment, then shot another dark look at the Doctor, plainly upset that the Doctor had allowed her to become an unwilling accessory to the whole debacle, something the Doctor couldn't argue with.

"I…can accept that," Jack said slowly. "We're good, Rosie."

"Thanks, Jack," she said, giving him a small smile.

"But the thing is, how come you left him behind, Doctor?" Martha asked, and the Doctor tensed again.

"It's...complicated," the Doctor said vaguely. "Listen, Jack…" He trailed off, looking at his old friend, fighting the grating feeling against his sense, the itch in his mind. The captain had done a lot for him, and a lot for Rose. He deserved better than what he'd gotten, no matter what was wrong with him now. It wasn't his fault, after all. "We'll talk, Jack," he said finally. "Later…we'll talk."

The captain gave him a measured look, appearing to gauge his sincerity, then nodded, apparently mollified for the moment.

"Yeah," he said. "We'll talk, Doc."

The Doctor nodded back, and took Rose's hand before walking towards what appeared to be the edge of a canyon, but seemed to hold some sort of organic metropolis…a dead one.

"Is that a city?" Martha asked as her and Jack joined them.

"A city...or a hive," he said thoughtfully as he looked down at it. "Or a nest. Or a conglomeration. Looks like it was grown. But look there," he added, pointing to various sections. "That's like pathways, roads…Must have been some sort of life. Long ago."

"What killed it?" Martha asked.

"Time, probably," Rose said with a shrug. "End of the universe…everything's dying now," she added, looking up at the sky. "All the moments have passed, all the empires are gone. I'm not even sure this is really just night."

"No," the Doctor said, following her gaze. "All the stars have burned up and faded away into nothing."

"It must have an atmospheric shell," Jack said. "We should be frozen to death."

"Some of us," the Doctor said, glancing at him. "You'd probably just be frozen. Can't be comfortable."

"It's not," Jack said with feeling.

"What about the people?" Martha asked. "Does no one survive?"

"I suppose we have to hope," the Doctor said, glancing around. "Life will find a way."

"Well, he's not doin' too bad," Jack said suddenly, and the Doctor followed his pointing hand to the man running along one of the pathways ahead of a herd of people.

"Doctor," Rose said in a concerned tone, already turning.

"Is it just me…or does that look like a hunt?" he asked the other two, following his wife down the slope. "Come on!"

"Oh, I've missed this!" he heard Jack yell with a laugh as they ran down the roadway toward the hunt. The captain managed to reach the man first, grabbing hold of him as he tried to dodge them in his panic. "I've got you."

"We've gotta run!" the man cried, looking back at the horde coming toward them. "They're coming! They're coming!"

Jack glanced at them and shoved the man at the Doctor, pulling out his revolver in the same movement.

"Jack, don't you dare!" the Doctor yelled.

Jack glanced at him, then at the approaching group, and made a frustrated noise before putting his arm up and shooting the gun into the air. The group skidded to a halt, watching them warily. They were humanoid, with strange markings on their faces and a wild, feral quality about them.

"What the hell are they?" Martha asked.

"There's more of them," the man said breathlessly. "We've got to keep going."

"I've got a ship nearby," the Doctor said quickly. "It's safe. It's not far, it's just over there."

"Yeah, maybe not," Rose said, and he looked back to see more of the same creatures coming at them from that direction as well. "You got anything else?"

"We're close to the silo," the man said. "If we get to the silo, then we're safe."

"Silo?" the Doctor asked, glancing at the other three.

"Silo," Jack agreed.

"Silo for me," Martha said, raising her hand.

"And me," Rose said quickly, and they all spun and ran in the direction the stranger had indicated. They came upon an area that looked vaguely militarized, with tall gates and watchtowers. Guards had stationed themselves in front of the gates with loaded guns, watching them approach.

"It's the Futurekind!" the man said, the fear and desperation clearly evident in his voice. "Open the gate!"

"Show me your teeth!" the guard ordered, and the four travelers stared at him in confusion. "Show me your teeth! Show me your teeth!"

"Show them your teeth," the man said hurriedly. They looked at each other, then bared their teeth at the guard.

"Human!" the guard reported. "Let 'em in! Let 'em in!"

The gates were unlocked and opened quickly, and all five darted inside hurriedly, stopping to look back after a few steps while the guard ordered the gates to be closed once again, the Doctor automatically putting out an arm to push Rose back. The Futurekind made for the gate, but the guard shot at the ground at their feet, halting their progress.

"Humans," the apparent leader said in a strange voice, watching them closely. "Humani. Make feast."

"Go back to where you came from," the guard ordered, raising his gun. "I said go back! Go back!"

"Oh, don't tell him to put down his gun," Jack said sarcastically.

"He's not my responsibility," the Doctor snapped.

"And I am?" Jack scoffed. "That makes a change."

"Not _now_, Jack!" Rose snapped, and he glanced back at her, but stayed silent.

"Kind watch you," the leader of the Futurekind said, pacing in front of the gate. "Kind hungry."

He watched them for another moment, then shouted at the others wordlessly, gesturing them to move back. He shot one last look over his shoulder at them before moving away.

"Thanks for that," the Doctor said to the guard before glancing back at Rose, squeezing her shoulder lightly in reassurance as he pushed her in front of him.

"Right," the guard said. "Let's get you inside."

"My name is Padrafet Shafekane," the hunted man said. "Please tell me, can you take me to Utopia?"

"Oh yes, sir," the guard said with a smile as he led them to a large tunnel carved into a mountainside. "Yes, I can."


	50. Utopia Part 2

_**So, I'm going to apologize in advance, because this chapter's still a little...mm...slow. There's just not a whole lot of real excitement til AFTER the Master shows up. So yeah, sorry. On the plus side, by the END of this chapter, we're not that far from that moment. So there's that. But, for all that, it's still fun, if only because it's still got Jack freaking Harkness, who always adds an interesting dynamic to whatever situation he's in, and I've soooo missed writing him.**_

* * *

As they were led into the silo, the Doctor made introductions for the group while Jack watched him curiously. Whatever he'd been expecting when he finally found the Doctor again, this wasn't it. Obviously, he wasn't expecting Rose either—that was a bombshell that had him over the moon, and probably worked to temper some of the bitterness that had crept back up on him. He'd forgiven the Doctor and Rose for the most part a long time ago, but he still wanted answers. The fact that the Doctor seemed willing to admit a mistake, and was at least open to talking to him had stunned him. This new man who'd taken the place of his friend was wildly different from the man he'd met years ago. The Doctor he'd known was like ice—chilly and hard, and always distant. This one…Jack had watched the couple out of the corner of his eye while the Doctor had talked to Rose, and had seen the little touches, the responses to each other without a word spoken aloud, the way she'd cuddled up to him and the kiss he'd dropped on the top of her head. Back when he'd been in leather, it wasn't totally out of the question for them to hold hands or even hug, occasionally, but he was always stiff, always maintained some wall between them. But before the hunt had distracted them, the Doctor had been more open and relaxed than Jack had ever seen him, even with the slight bit of stiffness due to the rift between them.

Jack watched as the Doctor put his hand at the back of his wife's neck as he introduced her, then let it linger as he looked down at her, running his thumb over her skin in a light caress as he gave her a small smile, while Padrafet captured the attention of the man in charge for a moment in hopes of finding his family. Jack smiled when he realized the impossible may have actually occurred…the Doctor might actually be happy. Instead of the oblivious pair he'd known or the crippling loneliness and heartbreak that he'd been sure he'd find in the Doctor, Rose had gotten her second chance, and had managed to survive, and now they were actually _happy_.

"A blue box, you said," Lieutenant Atillo, the man who the group had been talking to said, and Jack forced himself to pay attention. He'd be able to get his answers and talk to his friends more later—he'd make sure of it.

"Big, tall, wooden," the Doctor said, looking up at him and dropping his hand. "Says 'Police'."

"We're driving out for a last water collection," Atillo said. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," the Doctor said sincerely, and Atillo nodded before moving off.

"Come on," a boy holding a clipboard said, moving through the crush of bodies.

"Sorry, but how old are you?" Martha asked as they followed.

"Old enough to work," the boy said simply. "This way."

They moved through the crowded halls carefully, the boy, Creet, and Padrafet both calling for the man's family, hoping to find them in the chaos of humanity around them.

"It's like a refugee camp," Martha said, looking around her.

"Stinking," Jack said distastefully, then noticed a large man turn to stare. "Ooh, sorry," he added quickly. "No offence."

"But what are they all doing here?" Rose asked.

"Waiting to be taken to Utopia, whatever that is," the Doctor said with a shrug.

"My advice, if anyone offers you Kool-aide, don't drink it," Jack told her quietly, and she smirked and rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't you see, though?" the Doctor asked excitedly. "You survived! Oh, you might've spent a million years evolving into clouds of gas. And then another million as downloads, but you always revert to the same basic shape. The fundamental humans." He looked around, grinning. "End of the universe and here you are. Indomitable! That's the word! Indomitable! Ha!"

"Well, this regeneration's awfully chipper," Jack commented.

"You have _no_ idea," Rose said with a laugh as the Doctor winked back at her before moving off to examine a door. She followed him, and Jack moved down the hall to find Martha.

"It's not all bad news," the girl said when he found her, nodding at Padrafet embracing his family.

"Always good to see," he said, then glanced around to see a handsome young man walking by. "Captain Jack Harness," he said, shaking the young man's hand with a wide smile. "And who are you?"

"Stop it," the Doctor called, and Jack glanced back to see Rose smirking at him.

"Time and place, Jack," she said. "Come give us a hand with this."

The captain reluctantly released the young man's hand and turned back to the others.

"It's half deadlocked," the Doctor said, moving away from the control panel by the door and using the sonic screwdriver on the door itself. "See if you can overwrite the code. Let's find out where we are."

The door slid open, and Jack jumped forward to grab the Doctor's coat even as the man wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, both nearly falling into the cavernous space beyond.

"Gotcha," Jack said quickly.

"Thanks," the Doctor said as they steadied themselves.

"How did you two cope without me?" he asked, noting once again with interest the way the Doctor's arm around Rose's waist loosened but didn't drop. He was having real trouble getting over how completely obvious the Doctor was now about his feelings toward a certain human girl.

"Now that is what I call a rocket," Martha said, and he turned his attention back to the massive chamber in front of them, eyeing the huge rocket it contained with a professional eye. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen.

"They're not refugees, they're passengers," the Doctor said slowly, his brow furrowed. "Going to Utopia."

"But what's that?" Rose asked. "I mean, end of the universe, right? Where do you hide from that?"

"Good question," he said. "Utopia's supposed to be the perfect place—one hundred trillion years, and it's the same old dream. But _where_ that's supposed to be...your guess is as good as mine. Jack, do you recognize those engines?"

"Nope," Jack said, shaking his head. "Whatever it is, it's not rocket science. But it's hot, though."

"Boiling," he agreed as they all stepped back and Jack closed the door again. "Big rocket—"

"That's not a rocket," Rose interjected.

"—to take them all to Utopia—" Jack said.

"A place that, by rights, shouldn't exist," the Doctor finished thoughtfully, his hands buried in his pockets.

They looked down as an older, white haired man hurried toward them and glanced between the Doctor and Jack quickly, before his eyes landed on Jack.

"The Doctor?" he asked.

"That's me," the Doctor corrected quickly.

"Good!" the man cried, smiling broadly as he took the Doctor's hands and began leading him away. "Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good."

"It's good apparently," the Doctor said, glancing back at the others.

"Another day, another world to save," Rose said with a grin as they followed. "Be honest Jack...how much have you missed this?"

"Oh...I've had my own share of world saving," he said. "But less...mobile, I guess. He does add a certain flair to adventures though, doesn't he?"

"Every time," she said.

oOoOo

The man, who introduced himself as Professor Yana, led them quickly through the compound to his lab, chattering excitedly to the Doctor about how thrilled he was to have a decent mind in the area finally to give him some help while the other shared bemused glances.

"Chan—welcome—tho," said a blue skinned insectoid creature as they entered the lab and Yana pulled the Doctor over to his equipment, explaining it quickly while the Doctor looked around, slipping his brainy specs on as he tried to keep up.

"Hello," Rose said warmly. "I'm Rose, and this is Martha. Who are you?"

"Chan—Chantho—tho," the female said.

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack said with a flirty grin, and Rose rolled her eyes.

"Stop it," the Doctor said from where he stood with Yana.

"Can't I say hello to anyone?" he asked with a pout.

"Maybe if a hello from you didn't sound so much like a proposition," Rose said in a low voice for Jack's ears only, and he winked at her.

"Chan—I do not protest—tho," Chantho said shyly, and Rose shook her head with a grin.

"Maybe later, Blue," he said with a wink.

_So many species, so little time, _Rose thought at the Doctor, and he looked up with a grin.

"So, what have we got here?" Jack asked, dropping his bag in a seating area in the lab before moving over to the Doctor and Yana.

"And all this feeds into the rocket?" the Doctor asked as Rose moved closer.

"Yeah," Yana said, looking around. "Except without a stable footprint we'll never achieve escape velocity. If only we could harmonize the five impact patterns and unify them, well, we might yet make it. What do you think, Doctor? Any ideas?"

"Well, um, basically…sort of…" the Doctor started, glancing around. "Not a clue," he finally finished.

"Nothing?" Yana asked, disappointed.

"I'm not from around these parts," the Doctor said with a shrug. "I've never seen a system like it. Sorry."

"No, no. I'm sorry," Yana said, slumping dejectedly. "It's my fault. There's been so little help."

"Oh my God," Martha said suddenly, and they all looked over to see her pull a hand in a jar out of Jack's bag. Rose glanced at the men around her before they all moved to the sitting area as Martha set the jar down on the table. "You've got a hand. A hand in a jar. A hand in a jar in your bag."

"But that—th-that's my hand!" the Doctor said suddenly, sitting by the table and peering at it incredulously.

"I said I had a Doctor detector," Jack said with a shrug.

"Chan—is this a tradition amongst your people—tho?" Chantho asked.

"Not on my street," Martha said. "What d'you mean that's your hand? You've got both your hands, I can see them."

"Hold on," Rose said. "From the Sycorax?"

"Yep," the Doctor said. "How the hell did you get a hold of it?"

"Right place, right time," Jack said.

"He lost it," Rose explained as Martha stared at them in growing alarm. "Long story...but that spaceship at Christmas? He ended up in a swordfight for the planet and lost his hand."

"And then what?" Martha asked, clearly disbelieving this. "You grew another hand?"

"Um yeah," the Doctor said, glancing up at her. "Yeah I did. Yeah. Hello," he added, wiggling his fingers at her in a wave.

"Might I ask what species are you?" Yana asked.

"Time Lord. Last of," he said. Both Chantho and Yana looked at him blankly. "Heard of them? Legend or anything? Not even a myth?" he asked when neither responded with more than a shrug. "Blimey, end of the universe is a bit humbling,"

"We still love you," Rose said with a smile, sliding into the seat next to him and bumping his shoulder with hers.

"Chan—It is said that I am the last of my species too—tho," Chantho said.

"Sorry, what was your name?" the Doctor asked, having missed most of the introduction earlier.

"My assistant and good friend, Chantho," Yana said. "A survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge."

"Humans move in, and the native species died," Rose murmured. "Wish that was new."

The Doctor and Jack exchanged a knowing glance at this, both having observed the trend in the universe as well as Earth.

"The city outside," the Doctor said, choosing not to comment on that observation. "That was yours?"

"Chan—the conglomeration died—tho," Chantho answered with a nod.

"Conglomeration!" the Doctor cried, leaning back. "That's what I said!"

"Being rude again," Rose said, and he frowned at her. "You're supposed to say 'sorry'."

"Oh, yes," he said, leaning forward again. "Sorry."

Chantho bowed her head a little in thanks. "Chan—most grateful—tho."

"You grew another hand?" Martha asked, still trying to wrap her mind around it.

"Hello again," the Doctor said, wiggling his fingers at her. She shook her head and pulled a face at him, and he stood up, stepping closer to her. "It's fine. Look. Really, it's me."

Martha took the hand hand he held out and laughed nervously. "All this time and you're still full of surprises."

The Doctor responded with a wink and a click of his tongue.

"Chan—you are most unusual—tho," Chantho said with a little chuckle.

"Well…" the Doctor said, trailing off with false-modesty, and Rose rolled her eyes at him.

"But what are those things outside?" she asked, changing the subject before the Doctor's head got any bigger. "They chased us all the way to the gate. What are they?"

"We call them the Futurekind," Yana said. "Which is a myth in itself, but, uh, it is feared they are what we will become. Unless we reach Utopia."

"And Utopia is…?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, every human knows of Utopia," Yana said with a chuckle of disbelief. "Where have you been?"

"Bit of a hermit," the Doctor said with a shrug.

"A hermit with a—a wife and friends?" Yana asked.

"Hermits United," he said. "Bit of an odd group. The wife and I are sort of mavericks. Rest of us meet up every ten years. Swap stories about caves. It's good fun…for a hermit. So, um, Utopia?"

Yana crooked his finger at him, and led the group to a computer showing a navigational chart with a red dot blinking like a beacon. The Doctor leaned over to peer at it as the Professor explained.

"The call came from across the stars over and over again. Come to Utopia. Originated from that point."

"Where is that?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, it's far beyond the Condensate Wilderness," Yana said. "Out towards the wildlands and the dark matter reefs. Calling us in. The last of the humans. Scattered across the night."

"What do you think's out there?"

"I don't know," Yana said with a shrug. "A colony, a city, some sort of haven? The Science Foundation created the Utopia Project thousands of years ago to preserve mankind—to find a way of surviving beyond the collapse of reality itself. Now perhaps they found it. Perhaps not. But it's worth a look, don't you think?"

The Doctor looked up at him and smiled. "Oh yes. And the signal keeps modulating, so it's not automatic. There's a good sign. Someone's out there. And that's…ooh, that's a navigation matrix, isn't it? So you can fly without stars to guide you."

While the Doctor discussed this, Rose was distracted by watching Yana. The elderly man appeared to be in some sort of pain, and Rose stepped closer to him, frowning in concern.

"Professor?" she called, touching his shoulder lightly when he didn't respond and exchanging a glance with the Doctor, who was now looking up at them. "Professor, you okay?"

"I—Right, that's enough talk," Yana said suddenly, coming to life again and shaking himself. "There's work to do. Now if you could leave. Thank you."

The Doctor and Rose exchanged another glance as Yana walked away, and the Doctor followed him. "You all right?"

"Yes," the professor said quickly. "I'm fine! And busy!"

"Except that rocket's not going to fly, is it?" the Doctor asked quietly, and Yana quickly looked down at his instruments. "This footprint mechanism thing, it's not working."

"We'll find a way!" Yana said forcefully. If sheer will could have made the rocket start just then, it probably would have.

"You're stuck on this planet," the Doctor continued gently. "And you haven't told them, have you? That lot out there, they still think they're gonna fly."

Yana sighed and looked up at him with sad eyes. "Well, it's better to let them live in hope."

"Quite right, too," the Doctor said, then jumped to attention, ripping off his coat and tossing it to Rose. "And I must say, Professor…um, what was it?"

"Yana," the old man repeated, watching him in confusion.

"Professor Yana," he said, pacing around the controls. "This new science is well beyond me, but all the same, a boost reversal circuit, in any time frame, must be a circuit which reverses the boost. So, I wonder, what would happen if I did this?"

He picked up a control box and flipped it over, running his sonic screwdriver over it with expert assurance before flipping it back over and flicking the switch. Immediately, instruments around the room lit up and hummed to life.

"Chan—it's working—tho!" Chantho cried happily.

"But how did you do that?" Yana asked, looking around in disbelief.

"Oh, we've been chatting away," the Doctor said with a grin. "I forgot to tell you, I'm brilliant."

After that, the lab was filled with a flurry of activity as everyone set to work making the now live equipment functional. Control boxes and circuit boards were tossed around and slotted into place, the Doctor moving quickly between everyone, giving directions, the control in the chaos. He put Rose to work at a massive circuit board in the middle of the room with Yana, plugging various feeds into their respective slots. After a moment, Rose sniffed, then looked down at the wires in her hands.

"Hold on," Rose said, sniffing again. "What's this made of, Professor?"

"Hmm?" he asked, looking up at her through the clear board. "Oh, um, gluten extract. Binds the neutralino map together."

"But...but that's _food_," Rose said, her eyes roving over the circuit board as the Doctor, hearing the exchange moved closer and took a couple of feeds out of her hands.

"You've built this system out of food and string and staples," the Doctor said, startled. "Professor Yana, you're a genius."

"Says the man who made it work," Yana snorted.

"Ooh…it's easy coming in at the end but…you're stellar," the Doctor said honestly. "This is…this is magnificent."

"And he doesn't say that often," Rose said, plugging more feeds into the circuit board. "Honestly, Professor, this is...amazing."

"Well, even my title is an affectation," Yana said with a sigh. "There hasn't been such a thing as a university for over a thousand years. I've spent my life going from one refugee ship to another."

"If you had been born in a different time, you'd be revered," the Doctor said, and Yana chuckled a little. "I mean it. Throughout the galaxies."

"Oh, those damned galaxies," Yana said. "They had to go and collapse. Some admiration would have been nice. Just a little. Just once."

"Well, you've got it now," Rose said.

The Doctor nodded, then paused, studying the professor. "But that footprint engine thing. You can't activate it from onboard. It's gotta be from here. You're staying behind."

"With Chantho," Yana said, nodding a little. "She won't leave without me. Simply refuses."

"But...then you'll be stuck here," Rose said, looking around. "All this work...all so they could fly..."

"Oh, I think I'm a little too old for Utopia," Yana said. "Time I had some sleep."

Rose frowned, but a voice over the intercom interrupted their conversation before she could add anything else.

"Professor, tell the Doctor we've found his blue box."

"Doctor," Jack called, pointing to the monitor in front of him, and all three moved over to him to see the TARDIS safe and sound inside the silo.

"Professor," the Doctor said, clapping Yana on the shoulder. "It's a wild stab in the dark, but I may just have found you a way out."

Once they got the TARDIS safely back to the lab, the Doctor immediately hurried inside, returning after a moment and towing a long power line behind him.

"Extra power," he said, inserting it into an outlet. "Little bit of a cheat, but who's counting? Jack, you're in charge of the retro-feeds."

"Oh, am I glad to see that thing," Martha said, returning with Chantho and bearing more circuit boards.

"Chan—Professor, are you all right—tho?" Chantho asked, and Rose turned to see the professor sitting down, looking pale and shaky again.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said weakly. "I'm fine. Just get on with it."

Chantho straightened uncertainly and followed Martha to the tower for the circuits while Jack barked orders at them. Rose glanced around and, seeing nothing really useful for her to be doing right that second, moved to kneel next to the professor.

"You don't have to keep working," she said quietly, and he looked down at her as he wiped his brow. "Jack and the Doctor, they're marvels at this sort of thing. We can handle it."

"It's just a headache," he said. Then, quietly, almost to himself, "Just—Just noise inside my head. Constant noise inside my head."

"What sort of noise?" she asked, frowning.

"It's the sound of drums," he said. "More and more...as though it's getting closer."

"How long's that been going on?" she asked.

"Oh, my whole life," he said, shrugging. "Every waking hour. Still, no rest for the wicked."

He gave her a tight smile and stood. Rose moved after him thoughtfully, making a mental note to mention the professor's ailment to the Doctor after they managed to get the rocket launched. If anyone could do make Yana better, it was the Doctor.

oOoOo

"Professor, are you getting me?" Atillo's voice called over the computer sometime later, and Yana rushed to it.

"I'm here!" he said quickly. "We're ready! Now all you need to do is connect the couplings. Then we can launch. God sakes!" he shouted suddenly when the connection to Atillo was lost. "This equipment! Needs rebooting all the time!"

"Anything I can do?" Martha asked, stepping closer to him. "I've finished that lot."

"Yes, if you could," he said, getting up so Martha could take his seat. "Just press the reboot key every time the picture goes out."

"Certainly, sir," she said with a mock salute. "Just don't ask me to do shorthand."

"Are you still there?" Atillo asked, back on screen.

"Ah, present and correct," Yana said. "Send your man inside. We'll keep the levels down from here."

Atillo turned away, talking to someone else for a moment, then turned back. "He's inside. And good luck to him."

Yana nodded, then turned to Jack. "Captain, keep the levels below the red."

"Where is that room?" the Doctor asked, peering at the screen showing a bright red room glowing weirdly.

"It's underneath the rocket," Yana explained. "Fix the couplings and the footprint can work. But the entire chamber is flooded with stet radiation."

"Stet?" Rose asked, moving closer. "What's stet? Did you play with bricks of that as well?"

The Doctor shook his head, brow furrowed. "Never heard of it."

"You wouldn't want to," Yana said, shaking his head. "But it's safe enough. We can hold the radiation back from here."

They watched as the man worked the first in the radiation chamber carefully, dropping it into position just as an alarm went off.

"It's rising," Yana said, looking at the readings. "Naught point two. Keep it level!"

"Yes, sir!" Jack called back from the controls.

They watched as the man worked the second coupling, dropping it quickly. As he moved on to the third coupling, though, more alarms started blaring through the lab. They looked around, confused.

"Chan—we're losing power—tho!" Chantho cried.

"Radiation's rising!" the Doctor said as all three men jumped to various controls, working furiously.

"We've lost control!" Jack cried.

"The chamber's going to flood," Yana said urgently.

"Jack! Override the vents!" the Doctor ordered, working desperately to save the man inside. He wasn't sure what stet would do, but he was certain it wouldn't be pretty. His frustration mounted as the power continued to drain, however.

"We can jump start the override!" Jack yelled, and the Doctor looked over at him quickly to see the Captain holding a live cable in each hand, ends sparking.

"Don't!" he shouted. "It's going to flare!"

But too late. Jack held the two ends together, and screamed as power coursed through him. Rose, whimpered, and the Doctor put his arm around her automatically as they watched their friend seize before falling to the floor.

"He's alright," the Doctor said quietly to Rose, and she looked up at him with a mix of shock and anger. "Well...sort of."

"I've got him," Martha said, rushing to Jack's side.

"Chan—don't touch the cables—tho," Chantho said, following quickly and pushing the cables aside.

The Doctor thought quickly as everyone rushed to Jack's side, but looked down when he realized that Rose was still standing with him, looking up at him thoughtfully.

_You want to send him in there_, she thought.

_He's the only one who can do it,_ he replied.

_Give him a choice_, she thought and he stared at her.

_He's the __**only**__one who can do it_, he repeated. _And he'll know it...when he comes back._

_I don't care_, she thought stubbornly. _You'll give him a choice. Between us, we've taken enough choices away from him. At least give him enough respect to ask._

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Yana said, interrupting the telepathic argument, and they both looked back toward Jack.

"The chamber's flooded with radiation, yes?" the Doctor asked, watching impassively as Martha began to give mouth-to-mouth to Jack.

"Without the couplings, the engines will never start," Yana said hopelessly. "It was all for nothing!"

"Oh, I don't know," he said as Rose approached Martha, pulling her away from the captain.

"You've gotta let me try," Martha protested, fighting against her.

"Leave him," Rose said. "Trust me."

"It strikes me, Professor," the Doctor said slowly, "you've got a room a man can't enter without dying. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Yana said, confused.

"Well…" he said, slipping off his glasses as Jack gasped and came back to life. "I've got just the man."

"Was someone kissing me?" Jack asked, looking around breathlessly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and stepped over, holding out a hand to help Jack up. "You okay?"

"Uh…yeah, think so," Jack said, looking around. "Usually am."

"Right," the Doctor said distractedly, glancing at Rose before sighing and running a hand down his face. "Here's the thing, Jack…the coupling chamber is flooded with stet. No one can go in there and survive at this point, and without the couplings…"

"Gotcha," Jack said, then paused and looked at the Doctor. "Hold on, are you actually _asking_?"

"Well…" the Doctor said uncomfortably.

"Let me just savor this for a minute," Jack said, crossing his arms. "The Doctor actually giving me a _choice_ about something."

"Jack," the Doctor said in a warning tone.

"Oh, come on," he said, rolling his eyes. "It's not like I can really say no is it? But…thanks."

"Yeah," the Doctor said curtly, nodding.

"Well, what're we waiting for?" Jack asked, and both men shared a look before turning simultaneously for their coats.

"Be careful," Rose said, catching the Doctor's arm.

"I'm not the one entering the room no one can survive," he reminded her with a smirk as he ran his hands over her upper arms.

"Yeah, keep it that way," she said.

"Rose, it's gonna be fine," he said before bending down and kissing her quickly. "We'll get this done and be back up before you know it."

"Hey, don't I get a kiss?" Jack asked.

"You already got one," the Doctor said, arching an eyebrow. "Make it last. Come on."

Rose did lean up to give Jack a quick kiss on the cheek before both men took off down the hall at a dead run, bent on keeping the professor's promise to the refugees. They were gonna fly…all the way to Utopia.


	51. Utopia Part 3

_**Yay, two chapters this weekend! I've been itching to get past Utopia and on to the rest of the arc, so...yeah. Um...in case anyone isn't aware, the Master is not a nice man. Not at all.**_

_**Also, I'm sorry for the PM responses to some of your reviews yesterday that were completely screwed up. Not my fault. But yeah. Sorry. I dunno if it's better today or not. But anyway, loved the reviews, as always. Oh, also, if you haven't seen the news feed and you're having issues with your alerts, check your spam folder. A lot of people have been having issues with that.**_

**_Kay, that's all. Enjoy!_**

* * *

The Doctor and Jack sprinted through the silo towards the radiation chamber control room, leaving Rose and Martha to help the professor and Chantho with anything that might come up on their end.

"Lieutenant, get onboard the rocket!" the Doctor ordered, running for the control desk and urging the man to move. "I promise you're gonna fly."

"The chamber's flooded!" Atillo protested, even as he stood to give the Doctor access to the controls.

"Trust me," he said. "We've found a way of tripping the system. Run!" He glanced up as the lieutenant left to see Jack removing his shirt, leaving on only his white cotton undershirt. "Wh-What are you taking your clothes off for?"

"I'm going in," Jack explained, as if this was completely obvious.

The Doctor stared at him. "Well by the looks of it, I'd say that stet radiation doesn't affect clothing, only flesh."

"I look good though," Jack said with a wink and darted over to the door, then stopped, glancing back at the Doctor. "You knew this whole time, didn't you?"

"Yeah," the Doctor said. "That's why I ran. Good luck."

oOoOo

"What happened to the picture?" Rose asked, staring at the snowy static on the screen.

"We lost it when that thing flared up," Martha said, sitting in front of the computer and hitting the reboot key. "Doctor, are you there?"

"Receiving, yeah," the Doctor said. "He's inside."

"And still alive?" Martha asked.

"Oh, yes."

"But he should evaporate," Yana said incredulously. "What sort of a man is he?"

"Long story," Rose said. "Just the sort of people you end up knowing when you travel with the Doctor."

"This happens often?" Yana asked, perplexed.

"The Doctor sort of travels through time and space and picks people up," Martha said. "God, I make us sound like stray dogs. Maybe we are."

"Course you're not," Rose said, squeezing her shoulder gently, and Martha looked up at her with a smile. "He only takes the best."

"He travels in time?" Yana asked.

"Mhm," Rose said, nodding at the TARDIS. "That box there, that's a TARDIS. Stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

"The sports car of time travel," Martha added with a grin.

Neither girl noticed the distracted way the professor turned, or the odd look in his eye as he stared at the time ship.

oOoOo

"When did you first realize?" the Doctor asked, watching Jack work the couplings through the viewing window.

"Earth, 1892," Jack said. "Got in a fight in Ellis Island. A man shot me through the heart. Then I woke up. Thought it was kinda strange. But then it never stopped. Fell off a cliff, trampled by horses, World War I, World War II, poison, strangulation, a stray javelin…" The Doctor winced as Jack trailed off. "In the end, I got the message. I'm the man who can never die. And all that time you knew."

"I'm sorry, Jack," the Doctor said. "When it happened, everything was chaos. And you…I'm sorry, but you're wrong."

"Thanks," Jack snorted.

"You are, I can't help it," the Doctor said. "I'm a Time Lord. It's instinct. It's in my guts. You're a fixed point in time and space. You're a fact. That's never meant to happen. Even the TARDIS reacted against you—tried to shake you off. Flew all the way to the end of the universe just to get rid of you. Even just looking at you…it grates against my senses. It's like an itch in the back of my mind that I can't scratch."

"Well, if you ever need help with an itch—"

"Jack," the Doctor said in a warning tone, and Jack grinned at him. He sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. "I was regenerating, Rose was unconscious—I had to go, and I couldn't have you anywhere near me. It could have made things go very wrong. Well, more wrong than they did, anyway. But I should've gone back. I should've explained. You deserved that."

"Why didn't you?" Jack asked.

"Fear," the Doctor said with a shrug. "Ego. Selfishness. Take your pick. But Rose made me promise I'd explain…and apologize…if we ever saw you again. She wasn't real thrilled with me when she found out the truth. Nor right now, really."

"I'll bet," Jack said. "Last thing I remember back when I was mortal…I was facing three Daleks. Death by extermination. And then I came back to life. What happened?"

"Rose," the Doctor said. "To come back, she opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the Time Vortex."

"What does that mean, exactly?" Jack asked.

"No one's ever meant to have that power," the Doctor said, his eyes unfocusing as he saw her again before him, a goddess of Time, shining with the light of eternity. "If a Time Lord did that, he'd become a god, a vengeful god. But she was human. Everything she did was so human. She brought you back to life but she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever. That's something, I suppose. The final act of the Time War was life."

"Do you think she could change me back?" Jack asked.

"I took the power out of her," the Doctor said, shaking his head and coming back to the present. "Well, mostly. Everything left is tied to her now, part of her DNA."

"Is she like me?" Jack asked.

"No," the Doctor said. "No, she's...she's Rose. She sort of got an evolutionary hack, inserting a few centuries of genetic mutations at once. She's stronger, quicker…a little bigger on the inside than she used to be. And she'll live a long time. Maybe as long as me."

"So that's what she was talking about?" Jack asked. "When she said you wouldn't have to lose her?"

"Yeah," he said. "She risked everything to save me, to change for me, to give me forever."

"Yeah," Jack said. "But it must've taken a lot for you to actually accept that."

"Oh yes," he said, shaking his head. "I put her through hell, Jack. But she's still here, and I'm done fighting. I can't. She…" He trailed off, his unstoppable gob suddenly coming to a halt.

"She's Rose," Jack said, and the Doctor nodded. He could understand falling for her…after all, he had too, once…but never as far as the Doctor, and she'd never seen anyone _but_ the Doctor. They had always belonged to each other. "I went back to her estate, in the 90s, just once or twice. Watched her growing up. Never said hello, timelines and all that. After I saw her name on the list…" He paused, studying the Doctor for a moment. "Are you happy, Doctor?"

"You know…I think I am," the Doctor said thoughtfully. "Which carries its own fear."

"Waiting for the other shoe to drop?" Jack asked.

"Cause it always does," the Doctor said with a sigh, then looked at his old friend for a moment. It was getting easier the longer he was around the captain. "Do you wanna die?"

Jack ignored him, struggling with a stubborn coupling. "Oh, this one's a little stuck."

"Jack?"

Jack stopped, looking up at him. "I thought I did. I dunno. But this lot, you see them out here surviving and that's fantastic."

The Doctor smiled as the captain moved on to the last coupling. "You may be out there somewhere."

"I could go meet myself," he replied with a grin.

"Well, the only man you're ever gonna be happy with," the Doctor commented dryly.

"This new regeneration," Jack said, eyeing him, "it's kinda cheeky."

oOoOo

"I dunno how you even keep up with him half the time," Martha said. "I never understand half the things he says."

"Eh, you get used to it after a while," Rose said. "You can't really help but pick up a few things." She paused, realizing suddenly that the professor was no longer standing with them. She looked around to see him standing with his back to the rest of them, staring at the TARDIS. "Professor, you alright?"

"Chan—Professor, what is it—tho?" Chantho asked when he didn't immediately answer, all three moving closer to him. Rose was surprised to see the evidence of tears glinting on the old man's cheeks, and brought her hand up to his arm, trying to give him some comfort.

"Time travel," he said softly, not looking at them. "They say there was time travel back in the old days. I never believed. But what would I know? I'm just a stupid old man. Never could keep time. Always late, always lost. Even this thing never worked," he added, pulling out an old fob watch. Rose looked at it apprehensively and exchanged a glance with Martha. It couldn't be. Could it?

The Doctor had said all the Time Lords were gone. But he himself had technology to rewrite Time Lord biology. They'd used it. He still carried the gold watch that had kept Rose protected, though it was only a watch now.

_It's just a watch, _Rose thought to herself, locking down the bond to keep the Doctor from catching wind of these stray thoughts and panicking unnecessarily. _Sometimes, a watch is just a watch._

"Time and time and time again," the professor continued. "Always running out on me."

"Can I have a look at that?" she asked innocently.

"Oh, it's only an old relic," Yana said, then gave a little chuckle. "Like me."

"Where did you get it?" Martha asked.

"Hm? I was found with it," he said.

"Found?" Rose asked, her heart beating a little faster. "How do you mean?"

"An orphan in the storm," Yana said slowly, frowning a little. "I was a naked child found on the coast of the Silver Devastation. Abandoned with only this."

"Have you opened it?" Martha asked.

"Why would I?" he asked. "It's broken."

"How do you know it's broken if you never opened it?" Martha pressed, and Rose glanced sharply at her friend before looking back down at the watch, her apprehension growing.

"It's stuck," Yana said, fiddling with it. "It's old. It's not meant to be. I don't know."

Rose reached out with a shaking hand and turned the watch over, giving a little gasp and taking a step back when she saw the Gallifreyan engraving on the top. Sometimes, a watch is anything but a watch.

"Does it matter?" Yana asked, glancing between the two of them curiously.

"No," Rose said before Martha could answer. "No, it's nothing. It's…it's fine. But, listen…Martha, everything's alright up here. Can you...can you go check on the Doctor and Jack for me?"

"But you've got that—"

"Please," Rose said, cutting her off quickly with a significant look. Given the new developments, she'd rather avoid communicating with the Doctor through their bond; he'd said that it would be more obvious to telepathic beings when they did that. Yana might not be telepathic right now, but she didn't want to take any chances. The Doctor needed to know what was going on, though, and she needed to try to distract the professor from the watch, at least until the Doctor could get up here. "I'll stay here with the professor. Just go see if they need any help, alright?"

"I…yeah, alright," Martha said, glancing between them. "Just…be careful," she added in a whisper as the professor looked down at the watch again with an odd expression. Rose nodded at her, and she looked one more time at Yana and the watch before darting from the room.

oOoOo

"Yes!" Jack cried as he released the last coupling.

"Now get out of there!" the Doctor called urgently. "Come on!" He flew to the phone at the wall as Jack re-entered the control room, calling the rocket control. "Lieutenant, everyone on board?"

"Ready and waiting," Atillo answered.

"Stand by!" he said. "Two minutes to ignition."

Jack through back on his shirt as the Doctor glanced over the controls, working out exactly what it was and how it functioned before calling quick instructions to the captain, hands darting over switches and dials.

"Ah, nearly there," he said as Martha came running in. "The footprint is a gravity pulse. It stamps down, the rocket shoots up. Bit primitive. It's gonna take the both of us to keep it stable."

"Doctor, it's the professor," Martha said, moving beside him. "He's got this watch. He's got a fob watch. It's the same as yours. Same writing on it. Same…everything."

"Don't be ridiculous," he said, glancing down at her.

"We asked him," Martha said. "He said he's had it all his life."

"So he's got the same watch," Jack said, even as the Doctor looked down at Martha again, now slightly alarmed. But if that was the case, why hadn't Rose said anything? Come to think of it…Rose hadn't said anything through their bond in a while…

"Yeah, but it's not a watch," Martha was saying. "It's this chameleon thing."

"No, no, no," the Doctor said, flustered and distracted. "It's this…This thing, this device, it rewrites biology, changes a Time Lord into a human. And apparently an almost human into a full human. But it can't be. What did Rose say?"

"She just told me to come down here," Martha said. "She didn't sound like she wanted to use the mind meld thing, didn't even want me to mention it."

"It's…it's more obvious to telepathic beings," the Doctor said as an alarm blared, and he jumped over to try to fix it. "She didn't want to risk it."

"So he could be a Time Lord," Jack said. "You might not be the last one."

"Jack, keep it level!" the Doctor yelled, his mind churning in confusion. He reached out to Rose, his need to know what was happening overriding his need to hide their bond, but got nothing back. She was completely locked down. _Now_ she mastered it, of course.

"But that's brilliant, isn't it?" Martha asked.

"Yes, it is," he said hurriedly, his mind flipping through the possibilities. "Course it is. Depends which one. Brilliant, fantastic, yeah. But they died, the Time Lords. All of them, they died."

"Not if he was human," Jack said.

The Doctor whirled around to tower over Martha. "What did he say, Martha?" he asked urgently, and snapped when she hesitated. "_WHAT DID HE SAY_?" he yelled.

"He looked at the watch like he could hardly see it," Martha stammered. "Like that perception filter thing."

"What about now?" he asked. "Can he see it now?"

oOoOo

Rose watched the professor warily as he stood quietly, staring at the watch and twitching occasionally. She felt the Doctor's alarm suddenly course through her mind, and knew Martha had warned him, and he would be back here as soon as possible after launching the rocket.

"Professor, it's just a watch," Rose said, trying to distract him. "Why don't you come sit down?"

"I'm…I'm fine," he said, looking up at her, his eyes a little unfocused. Then he turned, walking toward the sitting area, staring at the Doctor's hand floating in the jar in a way that made Rose feel acutely uncomfortable. If Yana was a Time Lord, there were quite a few that the Doctor had mentioned that she really didn't want to meet.

"Please, professor," she said, tugging on his arm.

"Chan—Yana, won't you please take some rest—tho?" Chantho asked, backing her up.

"I…yes," he said weakly after another moment, and Rose breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, I…I suppose I should."

Rose led him back over to the open area in front of the ship, sitting him down and backing up a few steps, chewing on a nail and thinking hard. She turned, though, when an explosion sounded throughout the silo. The rocket. They'd done it. She beamed at Chantho, who smiled back in return—but faltered when the room was suddenly filled with a golden light. Rose whirled around again to see the professor on his feet again, back turned to them, the open watch clearly visible in his hand. She lunged forward, but the light was already fading from the watch and into the professor.

She glanced back at Chantho, motioning for her to stay where she was. "Professor Yana?"

The man snapped the watch closed and turned to her, his previously kind eyes now cold and hard. Her eyes widened, but she tried to keep her breathing steady as he walked toward her—then brushed past her without a word.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The professor ignored her, stepping over to a lever and pulling it down hard. On the screen beside it, Rose saw her friends run into the door to the control room and beat against it when it slid closed in front of them, and felt the Doctor's fear grow.

_Rose_, he called to her. _Rose, what's going on up there?_ She didn't answer, but still saw the older looking Time Lord's head tilt before he turned to her with narrowed eyes.

"Chan—but you've locked them in—tho," Chantho said, confused.

"Not to worry, my dear," he answered, still watching Rose. "As one door closes, another must open." He turned and threw another switch, and Rose glanced around at the screens as the outside of the compound went dark…that meant the defenses were also down.

"Chan—you must stop—tho!" Chantho said urgently. "Chan—but you've lowered the defenses! The Futurekind will get in—tho!"

"Why?" Rose asked. "What do you want?"

He turned to her, again watching her for a moment, before moving impossibly fast, one hand holding both of wrists painfully behind her back and holding her close to him, while the other held her neck firmly. He might look like an old man, but he was still a Time Lord, with all the reflexes and inhuman strength that came with that.

"You," he spat. "He _has_ gone soft. A lowly ape. How he managed to _bond_ with you is impossible enough, but _why_, I will never understand. Tell me, little one, how much do you really know of your dear husband? Of his past? Of his betrayals?" She stared at him in horror, and he grinned manically. "You know who I am, human. _Say it._"

"Master," she whispered, letting the word seep through the bond, since he'd already detected it, and felt the Doctor's fear spike into complete panic.

"Good girl," he said, his eyes moving over her face. "Very smart. You will be fun."

He released her, but before she even had a chance to step back, she felt a hard blow across her skull, and everything went black.

oOoOo

The Doctor ran through the silo with his friends after Jack got the door open, panic coursing through him. Of all the beings to survive, it had to be _him_. And he had to have _Rose_. He stumbled slightly when he felt the change in her, the complete loss of conscious thoughts from her...she wasn't locked down...she'd been knocked out. He sucked in a deep breath as a boiling rage suddenly vied with panic for the top spot in his emotional priorities.

Jack looked at him sharply, asking the silent question, but the Doctor just shook his head and started running again. He was more concerned about getting to her before something worse happened than explaining what already had.

They sprinted down the corridor, but skidded to a stop as they were met with Futurekind coming around the corner toward them, forcing them to spin around and back track. The Doctor growled in frustration. The loss of valuable time was exactly what the Master had intended by lowering the defenses, and the Doctor hated him just a little bit more.

"This way!" Jack shouted as they hit an intersection, and they barreled down another corridor, finally reaching the professor's lab once more.

"Get it open!" the Doctor yelled at Jack as he hit the door, trying to see anything he could through the window, which was barely anything. No Rose. No Chantho. No pr—Master. "Don't do this!" he yelled. "Please! It doesn't have to be like this! Please, just let me in!"

He could feel him in there, feel him _ignoring_ him...he let out a string of curses as he pulled out the sonic, trying to get anything to work on the door. _That_ was not a mind he wanted in his head, not one he wanted to dwell on. He'd take emptiness over that shattered mess any day.

"They're coming!" Martha screamed, and the Doctor lost whatever control he had left. He whirled, throwing a fist into the control panel. A painful shock ran up his arm and sparks burned his hand, but he ignored this as the door slid open. He barely glanced at Jack and Martha before he sprinted into the room, stopping when he saw the Master pulling the cables out of the TARDIS. He took a quick glance around, but didn't see Rose anywhere, so he turned his attention back to the Master. Before he could say anything, however, a pulse hit the Master, making him gasp and convulse. The Doctor looked down to see Chantho on the floor holding a gun before falling unconscious. He looked back up, and lunged forward with a growl of fury, but the other man backed into the TARDIS, and the Doctor slammed against the locked doors. He pulled his key out, trying to unlock it, but heard the deadbolt flip inside, rendering it useless. With another growl, he stepped back, pulling out his sonic screwdriver, but couldn't get the doors to open.

"Deadlocked," he muttered, staring at the doors. "Let me in!" he shouted.

"She's dead," he heard Martha say softly, and he looked down to see her kneeling next to Chantho.

"You've broken the lock!" Jack yelled, and he whirled to see Jack fighting with the door, trying to keep the future kind out. "Give me a hand!"

Dead assistant. Futurekind trying to tear them apart. The Master in the TARDIS. _But where the hell was Rose?_

His eyes swept around the room, even as a cold certainty settled in his mind. He turned back to the TARDIS with a glare.

"Don't do this," he called to the Master again. "It's not like it used to be. There's only us left. It doesn't have to be this way. Stop this and give her back to me." He walked up to the TARDIS and pounded on the doors again. "Give her back!"

He stood back again as a golden glow shown from the windows of the TARDIS, and a scream came from inside. He was regenerating. Just what he needed...the Master...rejuvenated.

"Doctor!" Jack yelled. "You'd better think of something!"

He balled his hands into fists, staring at his beloved ship that held his enemy and his wife, fury and fear blazing through him as his mind raced, trying to find some sort of solution.

"Doctor," a voice called from the TARDIS speaker. "Ooh, new voice. Hello...hello...hello," he called in alternating pitches, kicking up the Doctor's fury and disdain to levels he hadn't been sure he still had. "Anyway, why don't we stop and have a nice little chat while I tell you all my plans and you can work out a way to stop me? I don't think!"

"Hold on!" Martha called. "I know that voice!"

"Stop this," the Doctor thundered. "Just stop and think. There's no gain here. Open the doors."

"Oh, but I've gained something already," the Master said. "There's a little blonde ape in my company that seems to be a rather valuable commodity."

"Let her go!" the Doctor yelled, running back up to the ship. "I swear, if you touch a hair on her head—"

"You'll what?" the Master asked, and the Doctor could hear the sneer in his voice. "Come now. Are you really in a position to make threats when there's a deadlock seal between you and me...between you and your _wife_?"

"Please," he said, wincing when his voice broke slightly. "Don't hurt her. She's got nothing to do with you."

"Use my name," the other man ordered.

"Master," he said. He stared at the ship for a moment. "Stop this. Now. Or I will stop you. Please."

"Goodbye, Doctor," the Master said, and the engines started to groan. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver as Jack and Martha yelled for him in the background, trying to stop the engines.

"Oh, no you don't!" the Master yelled. "End of the universe. Have fun. Bye bye!"

The Doctor glared and flicked the sonic, using his last resort and fusing the coordinates of his ship so the Master would have nowhere to go but the place the Doctor himself had just left. He might have gotten away, but the Doctor would find him, and would stop him, and would get Rose back. There wasn't a single power in the universe that was going to stop him.


	52. The Wolf and the Master

_**So I know no one wants to see Rose hurt, but the Master is twisted, and there's just no way to expect that things are going to be happy and shiny for her right now. But while there will be some violence and a fair amount of psychological torture in the next few chapters, there's not going to be any long passages detailing excruciating physical torture. I just don't think it's necessary. There may be some hints at a few darker moments, but that's it. So breathe, remind yourself it's a story, and that none of this actually means that I in any way condone violence against women or sentient spaceships. Kay?**_

* * *

The Master frowned at the console. Still with his old Type 40, the sentimentalist. One would really think that the Doctor could have at least had enough class to steal something a little higher grade sometime in the last few centuries, but no.

"_It's not like it used to be. There's only us left."_

He pushed the words aside, and made an effort to ignore the strange emptiness in his head. He should have been able to feel the rest as soon as he returned to himself. Where were they? He ran a scan with TARDIS, but couldn't even find Gallifrey amongst the stars. The War. Something had happened in the War.

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

No! Not the drums! No time to focus on the eternal racket in his head. Now was the time for planning.

The TARDIS landed, and he darted around the console, slamming a hand down and cursing before stilling and making an effort to collect himself. The Doctor had done something. Bastard. He always had to have his own way. He'd made sure the TARDIS would land somewhere he wanted. Alright. No, that was alright. The Master darted around, flicking switches and smacking at buttons, making the TARDIS whine as he pushed those parameters to their absolute limit. He checked the date again, grinning madly when he saw that he'd been able to buy himself an extra eighteen months. Eighteen months in the 21st century, when technology was first starting to boom, giving the humans more control over their domain, but leaving them oh so very vulnerable to someone who knew how to exploit those really very primitive tools. Someone like him. For that, eighteen months was a lifetime. Or, at least, it soon would be.

He whooped in glee, then set off to find something more fitting to wear to blend into with the apes, but his eye caught on the little blonde still sprawled on the grating where he'd left her after dragging her into the ship. He'd have to do something about her. Killing her now would be a little too easy, and he could still use her to get information on this current incarnation of the Doctor. Oh, he did hope she'd refuse…he really could have fun with that. Either way, though, she'd have to stay alive, and contained. He sighed, striding through the TARDIS until he found one of the various catch all rooms he just knew the Doctor would have lying about. He found a length of rope from Hutchwild and grinned...why the peaceful, loving Doctor would have this was anyone's guess, but it would serve his purposes quite nicely.

oOoOo

Rose woke up to find herself on the jump seat of the TARDIS. Her shoulders were aching, and the TARDIS was buzzing angrily in her mind. The Doctor…she could feel him, but it felt…strange, distant. Something was wrong. Given that she had no real way to find a solution to that without being able to talk to him, however, she brought her mind back to the situation at hand. Her arms were being held above her head, her wrists tied to the railing above and behind her. She looked down to see her ankles tied together as well.

Okay. This was bad. Angry TARDIS, no Doctor, and she was being held hostage. She tested the rope holding her wrists, but let out a gasp when the rope suddenly tightened and jerked her arms up painfully.

"Good, isn't it?" a man asked, walking into her field of vision. "Psychic _rope_. Can you believe it? Every kidnappers dream. The fact that the Doctor had it is a matter of interest…oh, maybe there's a little kink to him after all…oh, come on, do tell. Inquiring minds want to know."

Rose eyed the man carefully. He was tall, dark hair, looked to be in his early thirties. He was wearing a suit…not the skinny, fitted, suit that the Doctor wore…more like a lawyer or politician. He smiled at her, and it almost looked friendly…until she looked into his eyes, and saw the cold, calculating madness there.

"_He was brilliant_," the Doctor had said, so long ago. "_But brilliant like broken glass…all shattered and chaotic._"

"Master," she said, unable to keep the disdain completely from her voice.

"Oh, I do love it when you use my name," he said. "It really breeds familiarity, this first name basis. Of course, familiarity breeds contempt…but I think we've already got that covered, don't we, _Rose_?"

"Where's the Doctor?" she asked. "What've you done to him?"

"Me?" he asked. "Why, I've done nothing to him. He's perfectly healthy…back at the end of the universe. You, though…you've done something masterful. And really, coming from me, that's quite a compliment. How did you manage it, Rose Tyler? How did you make someone so supposedly 'legendary' want to bond with you, a common ape, to make himself so incredibly vulnerable?"

"What happened to you?" she asked. "You two, you were so close, once upon a time. You could've been an unstoppable force, one for good. What made you turn into _this_?"

The ropes tightened again, lifting her off her seat as her shoulders burned, and the Master darted over to her, grasping her jaw painfully and forcing her to look up at him.

"Don't you dare speak to me as if you have any comprehension of who I am," he spat at her. "You are _nothing_ compared to me. A lowly human, a pawn. The only reason you're still breathing is your unfathomable connection to the Doctor, but I promise you that the ice your relationship puts you on is thin, and it can crack at any second, just like your pretty little neck. You'll do well to remember in _this_ relationship, I'm the one with _all _the power."

He shoved her face to the side hard and stepped back, rolling his neck before looking back at her, the calm mask back in place over the madness. The ropes slowly loosened just enough to let her back down on the jump seat.

"Now that we've cleared up that little misunderstanding, let's get back to the situation at hand," he said in a pleasant voice, smiling at her again. "What can you tell me about the Doctor? It's been so long since I've been able to have a chat with him, what with being trapped in a bloody watch kept by a stupid human and a useless assistant at the end of the _fucking_ universe—" He stopped, breathing in and looking down for a moment to collect himself again. "Right. So. About the Doctor. What can you tell me about him?"

"You've known him longer than I have," she said, watching this dangerously unbalanced man warily.

"Yes, but what is he like _now_?" he asked. "What…what drives him? What are his weaknesses? Well, other than you, obviously."

"Like I would tell you that," Rose snorted. He pursed his lips, steepling his fingers in front of his face as he studied her. Then, with a blur of motion, the back of his hand connected hard with her face, splitting her lip. She spat the blood out and turned back to him, staring him down. "God, you do have a short fuse," she said, proud that she managed to keep her voice from shaking. "What did you expect me to tell you? I suppose you could say his weakness is marmalade, he does fancy it to an unhealthy degree. Oh, and bananas, of course. Those are nothing short of an addiction. He just can't seem to live without them. And banana daiquiris. Oh, give him one of those, and he'll be your friend for life."

The Master narrowed his eyes, his jaw shifting as he pursed his lips again, then he smiled. "Oh, you are gonna be fun. Tell you what, let's come back to that one. Really, I don't need to be asking any of this at all, but it is entertaining, and you could be so useful if your precious Doctor does manage to find his way back to you."

"He will," she said. "He always does."

"Such faith," he said. "He must feel like a god around you."

"Better than that," she said. "He feels like a man."

"Hmm." He tilted his head, studying her. "Interesting. But not really what I want to talk about. Moving on. Let's talk about you. What exactly are you? He said you took in the Time Vortex…you're bigger on the inside now, I think his words were. So what exactly are you?"

"I'm the Bad Wolf," she said. "And I've faced six scarier things than you before breakfast."

Again, the back of his hand connected with her face, and she felt her eye grow hot as it began to swell.

"Your mother really should have taught you to watch the cheek," the Master said. "It was cute for a moment, but I'm over it. Answer politely, or it's going to hurt a lot more. Understood?"

"Why're you doing this?" she asked. "What do you really get out of it?"

"Whatever I want," he said.

"What about the emptiness?" she asked. "You must have it too. I'll bet the drumbeat just _echoes_ in there now."

His eyes narrowed at her. She knew she should stop baiting him, but if she could get him to start talking, to reveal something, she might be able to tell the Doctor whenever he found her. Because he _would_ find her. That she never doubted.

"What do you know of it?" he asked softly. "Where is everyone? Where is Gallifrey?"

"Gone," she said. "The Time Lords, the planet…it's all gone."

"You're lying," he said.

"Why would I lie about that?" she asked. "Search the TARDIS databanks; I'm sure she'll tell you. It all burned. The only reason you're still alive is because you were human."

"The Doctor is still alive," he pointed out.

"Because he ended it," she said. "The Time War. He ended it, outside it all. Everything was destroyed."

"He wouldn't."

"He did," she said. "Because he was the only one who would. The only one who could. For the sake of the entire universe."

"I'm tired of this game," he said suddenly. "I don't really need you to answer questions, but I was really hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this. I really have no idea what sort of shape I'll leave you in. Hopefully I won't damage you too badly before the Doctor can find you."

He stepped closer, raising his hands, every inch the powerful Time Lord she knew him to be. She concentrated on the mental barriers that the Doctor had taken so much time teaching her to strengthen, even as she realized that she could never be a match for the Master.

oOoOo

In his first attempt to enter Rose Tyler's mind, he did so casually, almost lazily, assuming the little Londoner would be no more formidable that any other lowly human, bond or not. He frowned, staring at her, when he hit a wall. He tried again, this time with the force necessary to break down some of the strongest human telepaths, and still he was denied access. He tried to find a weak point, anything, because surely she could not be as strong as some of the alien races he'd encountered.

"A challenge," he said softly as she continued to glare at him. She turned her head, showing her basic, animal instincts as she tried to bite his wrist, but another hard hit and she was once again docile. She seemed to be taking those well too. Interesting. "No matter," he said after a moment. "You'll just be that much more fun to break."

This time, he decided that he was through being kind to her, and came at her with the full force of his mind, intent on moving through hers with all the gentleness of a hurricane, taking what he needed and not caring anymore what sort of state he left her in. She screamed as he entered her mind with force, a feeling of triumph bolstering him as her barriers shattered around him.

He was shocked when he was met with a wall of golden energy, completely impenetrable, but impossible to simply pull away from either. Over her screams, he could swear he heard a wolf howl, just before he heard the Doctor's voice, furious and commanding.

"She. Is. _Defended_."

With that, he was forcibly ejected from her mind, with so much power that he physically stumbled back away from her. She was breathing hard, and staring at him, but her eyes…her eyes had changed. There was a golden glow emanating from them, fading quickly, but making him wonder how bright they'd been before he'd opened his eyes.

For a moment, he stared at her in disbelief, that this tiny, insignificant human had actually managed not only to keep him out of her mind, but forcibly eject him. Obviously, the Doctor had played a part…possibly even the TARDIS. But the wolf…she said she was the bad wolf. As he continued to watch her, though, the disbelief turned into a wild rage that she would have the audacity to throw him, a Time Lord, _the Master_, from her mind, as if she, this so obviously inferior creature, had any right to command him.

Then she smirked.

This time, when he hit her, he didn't bother to check himself to account for her fragility, determined to wipe that ugly look of victory from her face. She was once again knocked out cold, and he sighed and rolled his eyes before untying the rope from the railing. He left her wrists and ankles bound, however, and slung her over his shoulder as he went looking for a place to stow her so he wouldn't have to look at her while he was in the TARDIS. Eventually, he found a suitable room, mostly empty, and threw her in, so that her limp form slid across the floor, and, even unconscious, she gave a small whimper. Good. Hopefully this experience would be a learning one for her, so she'd understand in the future the kind of respect she should be showing him.

Sooner or later, he'd have to find another place for her. He already had plans whirring in his mind, plans that wouldn't work exceptionally well if he kept her imprisoned in the TARDIS. But he'd worry about that later. For now, he pushed the insolent bitch from his mind as he focused on creating a life that would give him the most influence in the shortest amount of time, giggling every time the technology that was supposed to keep them safe allowed him ever more control over the silly little humans on this planet that the Doctor loved so much.


	53. Purgatory

**_This one's long compared to my other chapters, but there's not real way to break it up, and I didn't want to drag this out into the weekend anyway...better to for the weekend to have some sort of hope. This one was rough to write...getting into the Master's head is...uncomfortable._**

* * *

_Three months on Earth._

The Master carefully removed the splint on Rose's arm, testing the dexterity of her wrist and fingers. His growing fascination with her rapid recovery from injuries had prompted him to fracture her ulna and radius two weeks ago, and he was delighted to find that her strange healing powers had held true. An injury that should have taken her at least six weeks to heal from enough to go without support was already showing signs of remodeling more closely resembling twelve to fourteen weeks of healing.

"I'll need you to try to move it," he said.

_Smack!_

Although he really should have been expecting it, the slap she gave him across his face still surprised him for an instant before he grabbed her wrist again and hit her with the back of his hand.

"We've discussed this, Rose," he chided her as he strapped her wrist down on the chair. "_I_ hold the power here. Not you. You really will be much happier and healthier once you learn that."

"So if I stop trying to hurt you, you'll stop hurting me?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Probably not," he admitted.

"Yeah, forgive me if I'm not altogether on board with that plan then," she said.

He almost chuckled, but stopped himself in time. She really was fascinating, this little pet of the Doctor's. So feisty, so stubborn, so cavalier about her own well-being. The Doctor probably thought she was brave. The Master thought it more likely that she was mentally unbalanced, but it was impressive nonetheless. However, it would not do for her to see that he thought so.

"So who was that woman in the console room?" she asked conversationally.

"Ah, I meant to tell you," he said. "I'm afraid you are not the only important woman in my life anymore, Rose Tyler."

"Perish the thought," she said.

"Mmm…it is a little sad, isn't it?" he asked. "You'll just have to learn to share. Her name is Lucy. I met her after only being here a week. She's special. I took her to the end of the universe, managed to persuade the TARDIS to go to Utopia. _Those_ people are a wreck, let me tell you. Anyway, it was a bit of an eye opener for her."

"I'm sure."

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

"I'm going to ask her to marry me," he said in conspiratorial tones. "I know it's a bit soon, but it's been a whirlwind romance, and when you know, you just _know_."

"I doubt you do," Rose said, arching an eyebrow. "I think it's a bit more likely that you just want to use her to enhance your image. That girl is nothing but an accessory."

"So judgmental," he tutted. "You should give her a chance. I think you'd like her."

"Really?"

_No_, he thought. _You'd probably find her just as weak and boring as I do._

"Oh yes," he assured her. "She's going to make a wonderful wife. And, thanks to you, I've even got the ring."

He saw her eyes widen and smirked. He did love when he was able to get a rise out of her. He had removed her various pieces of sentimental jewelry almost immediately. The necklace and the bracelet had been tricky; the laser screwdriver he'd constructed had only burned her skin, leaving the jewelry intact, but once he'd managed to find one of the Doctor's old sonic screwdrivers, he'd had those off her as well. He'd been surprised to realize she was actually more upset about those then her wedding rings, but she'd still hate to see the latter on someone else.

"Listen to me you little—"

"Ah ah ah," he said, wagging his finger at her. "Given the tests I have in mind for your healing capabilities, I would keep the insults to yourself. I'm the one holding the scalpel, and it would really not be pretty if my hand were to slip."

He saw the fear in her eyes as she glanced to the side and saw his tray of scalpels and bandages, and watched in fascination as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before giving him a hard look. She really was a credit to her species. It was almost a shame to treat her this way. Almost.

oOoOo

_Seven months on earth._

A month after the scalpel experiment, the Master had gotten bored with the systematic investigation into Rose's physical pain threshold and healing capabilities. Using his new contacts through the Ministry of Defense, he'd moved her to an actual prison, putting a hood over her head to keep her from knowing exactly where she was. He'd evidently used some substantial mix of bribery and cajoling to design her cell to his specifications, including basic amenities such as a tiny shower and a toilet. These teases of normalcy were little comfort to her, instead kicking up her anxiety. Without needing to utilize a common loo or shower, he could keep her completely isolated for long stretches of time if he so desired. The television in the wall had confused her until she'd realized that she had no way of controlling it; it was another tool for gloating, and it tended to turn on when there was some report of the beloved Harold Saxon's many achievements.

Now, Rose watched despondently as the Master stood to receive yet more accolades for the Archangel network discuss his campaign for Prime Minister, little Lucy faithfully by his side as always, the public adoring him without question. One of these days, she was going to figure out how he was managing that.

Lucy, she was sure, was the product of months of work on her mind. The Master had brought her around to meet Rose the month earlier, just after the wedding. She was certain this was just so he could show off the fact that Lucy was wearing her rings and worshipped the ground he walked on. The girl was sweet, if a little strange. She knew the Master was an alien, and he'd shushed her when she made it clear he had big plans for the planet eventually. But she was completely alright with it all…she said he was a wounded soldier, someone who needed love and affection to heal his battered hearts. Rose had simply shaken her head as the Master grinned at her.

The sad thing was, it wasn't completely off. Based on what she could remember intermittently from her vision of the Doctor, as well as what he had told her, the Master had been a decent person once. Always a little colder and a little quick to suggest violent or cruel plans, but he really had wanted something good once. But the Time Lords had done a number on him as well, and that madness that was already in place had taken him in a far different direction than the Doctor. She could understand now why the Master was simultaneously one of the Doctor's only good memories as well as one of his worst.

So Rose and Lucy had ended up running the same sort of parallel that the Doctor and the Master did. They both had unwavering faith in the men they loved, and believed them to be better than the sum of their sins. But just like the Doctor and the Master, only one relationship had any capability of being healthy or honest. And a telepathic bond tied only one.

The Master had been furious when he'd found that Lucy's fragile mind couldn't support a bond the way Rose's could. He'd left Rose bleeding and unconscious for that crime. Thing was, she wasn't sure he even wanted a bond with Lucy. When his wife wasn't around, he occasionally slipped in his act, and regarded her with nothing short of disdain. This had led Rose to believe that his anger had been more due to the fact that he'd been denied something, specifically something the Doctor had.

She wasn't entirely surprised when, several hours later, she was collected from her cell and taken to an interrogation room. She was cuffed to the table, and the Master sauntered in a moment later.

"Did you see it?" he asked.

"You know I did," she said with an eye roll. "You've made yourself very hard to ignore. I bet you were the type to pull a girl's pigtails if you liked her too."

"Of course not," he said. "That would require me to 'like' someone, as you put it. But regardless, I do like having your attention, if only because I know it so bothers you to see me succeed."

"Because you're manipulating people to do it," she said. "And I'm fairly certain you have plans to take over the world and kill quite a lot people eventually."

"Now, now," he said. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves in our plans for such a shiny future. It was good, though, wasn't it?"

"What's the Archangel network?" she asked, not for the first time. "What's it for?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," he said. "And I don't really want to do that yet. It's really less fun if the Doctor can't witness it."

"Why do you keep coming here?" she asked, studying him. "You've got plenty of friends now. You've got Lucy. Why do you keep stopping by here?"

"Rose, just because I'm married now doesn't mean you've lost any importance in my life," he said with a wounded look, and she rolled her eyes. "I don't want you to feel like you're being ignored."

"Strangely enough, I think I'd survive," she said. "Probably longer. And with fewer bruises."

"True," he admitted, and she felt a little queasy. There was something incredibly unsettling about the way they freely spoke of the physical pain he inflicted on her and the constant threat of death he hung over her head. "But, you know, if you just behaved, I wouldn't have to hurt you all the time."

"Right," she said, arching an eyebrow. "Does that little speech work on Lucy?"

"I don't hit Lucy," he said. "I doubt she'd tell anyone if I did, but someone might notice. Her, I keep happy. I have appearances to think about. You…oh, with how fast you heal, and your ever-present attitude, and your insistence on believing the Doctor will come—"

"He will," she interjected.

"Stop it!" he yelled suddenly, jumping to his feet and towering over her. "Even if he does," he continued, with an obvious effort to keep his voice calm, "he won't be able to do anything. I've taken his ship, his wife, I'm in a position to take absolute power over this backwards little planet and its substandard life forms, and there is absolutely nothing he can do about it. If he does make it here, I will break him. Don't doubt it, Rose Tyler. Piece by piece, I will take everything from him, and I will break him."

"He's beaten you so many times," she said. "What makes you think this one will be any different?"

"Because it's my turn," he said darkly, then straightened and turned away. He whirled back immediately, however, and backhanded her, his ring opening a gash over her cheekbone. He moved around the table and kicked the chair out from under her so she went down hard on her knees, her chin hitting the stainless steel top of the table while the handcuffs dug painfully into her wrists. He leaned down behind her, his hands resting on the table on either side of her. "You'll die. And I'll make the Doctor wish he was dead. If he comes back, I will make sure everything he cares about is destroyed, and I'll make him beg for death. So please…keep your faith in him, that he'll always come for you. It'll just give me something else to look forward to."

oOoOo

_Nine Months on Earth._

Rose sat on her bed, willing herself not to cry, her breath coming in gasps as her arms wrapped around her middle. The only real contact she had with the outside world was the Master, but the life of Harold Saxon was a busy one; while he still visited her frequently, those visits were becoming more irregular, the days between stretching longer. The loneliness and despair that she tried to block tended to overwhelm her at odd moments, hitting her like a brick and making her feel like she was breaking apart at the seams. Her heart rate would kick up, and her lungs would begin to feel like they were impossible to inflate. She knew that this was as much a part of his torture as the beatings or psychological games he played in conversations, so she did everything she could to keep him from seeing her like this. She had no doubt, however, that there was a camera in her cell that showed him everything.

She couldn't help wondering, in these moments, if the Doctor really was still coming for her. But then she'd feel his presence in her mind, still there but so distant, and try to reassure herself. He was still breathing; he would still come for her.

The TARDIS helped; the ship's song soothed her frayed nerves and bruised psyche. In those brief moments of doubt, the ship would send her images of happy moments they'd had in the TARDIS…dancing around the console on New Year's…throwing popcorn at each other in the media room…his arms around her as they watched the simulated stars on the balcony…every moment the ship highlighted for her was full of happiness and love, bolstering her faltering faith.

She wondered if time was passing for him the same way it was for her. Was it taking days to find a way back? Months? Years? Was he in as much pain? Did he miss her just as much? She wanted nothing more than to feel his strong arms around her, the drum of the steady beat of his two hearts in his chest, to hear his voice telling her everything was going to be alright.

But she couldn't. Not now. Not yet. And if she tried to escape, if it were even possible, then the Master wouldn't hesitate to kill her. His only disappointment would be that he hadn't been able to fully utilize her as a weapon against the Doctor first. So for now, she had to be her own strength. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to take deep, painful breaths, imposing the calm neutrality back on her emotions. She only opened her eyes again when the television high up on the wall clicked on.

Harold Saxon was up in the polls. Harold Saxon was the voice of the people. Harold Saxon was going to change the world.

Rose screamed and punched the plexiglass over the screen.

oOoOo

_One year on Earth._

The Master lay in bed, his fingers laced behind his head. He'd had sex with Lucy, because that's something you were supposed to do when you were married and loved each other, but it was a chore as usual. The only good thing about it was that she'd fallen asleep afterwards. But now he was bored. He'd travelled with humans before, of course, but still couldn't understand how the Doctor got over the intense boredom when they were asleep, and they seemed to sleep _all the time_.

Except Rose.

Today marked a year they'd been on Earth, one year since she'd shown up with the Doctor and his merry little band of idiots. It was their anniversary…after one of the longest years of his life. Even after spending decades as a human, he still hated that time moved _so slowly_ when he actually stopped and let it.

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

Once the thought hit him, it nagged at him until he finally got up and pulled on a pair of jeans, a polo, and a leather jacket. He grabbed his keys and left without bothering to leave a note. Lucy rarely asked, and if she did, a scathing look from him would immediately prompt her to apologize.

He drove to the prison and requested to see her, smirking once again when there wasn't even so much as a raised eyebrow. A mix of bribery and staff turnover that allowed him absolute power over Rose. There had been a few mental nudges here and there to keep things smooth, but it amazed how willing these humans were to turn a blind eye on one of their own for the right price. This meant he could summon her whenever he desired, and regardless of any injuries she sustained, no one balked at occurrences in the interrogation room. From a blackened eye to a fractured femur, she was simply patched up and placed back in her cell, no questions asked.

And she was always awake. It had bothered him, at first, that he could never seem to catch her unawares unless he'd knocked her unconscious first, but now he'd made his peace with that, and instead chose to see the fact that she was always alert and fully aware of any abuse he inflicted on her, physical or psychological, as a happy thing.

He sauntered into the room to find her cuffed to the table. He stopped, watching her for a moment. She was slumped in the chair, not even lifting her head when he walked in. In anyone else, he'd take those as signs of defeat. In her, in seemed more like defiant resignation, as if he wasn't worthy of her attention. She might not be able to stop him, but she wouldn't give him the luxury of seeing it affect her. It was almost cute, her persistence of strength. He was still sure that it was a sign of an unstable, masochistic nature, but that was alright, because he had no problem being sadistic.

"If I remove the cuffs, do you promise not to hit me?" he asked.

"Not a chance," she said, finally looking up at him, her gaze steady.

He nodded. He hadn't really expected anything less. "Let's try this again. I'm going to remove the cuffs, and if you try to hit me, I'll break your arms. Understood?"

"Understood," she sighed, and he took his laser screwdriver, unlocking the cuffs and allowing her to sit back and cross her arms.

"Happy anniversary," he said as he took a seat across from her. She didn't reply, but rolled her eyes and shook her head a little. "Actually, come to think of it, when is your anniversary? Your wedding certificate said 1969, but I'm fairly certain that has very little bearing on how long you've been married. So how long has it been?"

She gave him a calculating look, then sighed. "A year last month."

"You'd only been married a _month_?" he asked. "Huh. Maybe that's why he was still so passionate about getting you back. You hadn't been together long enough for you to become a nag."

"I'd already been travelling with him for three years," she said calmly.

"He begged, you know," the Master said, ignoring her. "He _pleaded _with me to give you back. Even tried to threaten me through a deadlocked door."

"He does that," she said.

"Yes, but why?" he asked. "Why would he even bother? The ship, now…the ship I can understand. Apparently, a TARDIS is a hard thing to come by now. But why _you_?"

"Because he loves me," she said.

"Love," he scoffed. "Trust me, Time Lords can do many things, but loving someone is not one of their talents."

"You know that's not true," she said. "If you had never loved the Doctor, then you wouldn't hate him so much now." He stilled, watching her carefully. "It's true, isn't it? He was your best friend, closer than a brother, and you loved him, and believed he loved you. And then he betrayed you. He left you when you needed him most, ran away with his granddaughter and left you alone to fight the revolution he'd helped you start. And so now you'll always hate him…for abandoning you, for hurting you…but most of all, for ever making you love him in the first place."

He stood up quickly, knocking his chair back as he leaned on the table and towered over her. "Listen to me, you sanctimonious little bitch—"

"He still loves you," she said, and he stared at her in shock that she would dare interrupt him, much less with something like that. "Oh, he's aware that you're a psychopath and delusional and bent on the destruction of him and everyone else, and that he'll always have to put you down when you pick a fight, because he's the only one who can. But he still loves you…for who you were, and for who you could have been, and for who you still could be if you would just _stop_."

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

He shot an arm out, fisting the cloth at the front of her shirt and dragging her up so that they were practically nose to nose.

"Who I _was_ was a weak, idealistic fool," he spat. "Who I _am_ is a one of the most powerful beings in the universe, the most powerful one on this godforsaken rock you call a planet. And who I _could be_, who I _will be_, is the man who broke your precious little Doctor."

He shoved her back in her chair and righted his own, sitting down across from her again.

"I told you before, Rose," he said quietly. "Don't ever presume that you know me at all. That you ever could."

"Maybe not," she said after a moment. "But what I do know is you keep coming back here. You never answered me, months ago, when I asked you why. It's not just about torturing me though, is it? You're _bored_. You're stuck in a life you hate, married to a woman you hold in contempt, all to further your plans…and you're lonely, just like he is. Because no matter how much you might have hated everyone on Gallifrey, it doesn't change how lonely that emptiness makes you feel. And as _messed up_ as it is, I'm the closest thing you have a friend. The only one here who knows _anything_ real about you."

This time, he snapped completely, backhanding her hard and sending her sprawling on the floor. He stood and leaned over her, once again fisting her shirt and bringing her face up to his.

"We are not friends, Rose Tyler," he hissed. "You are nothing. A child. A pawn. A commodity whose value diminishes every time you open your mouth. Bear that in mind the next time you try to use your _ridiculously_ inferior brain to try to psychoanalyze me, you self-righteous little mongrel."

He threw her back down on the floor, where her head connected with a satisfying crack. He stood up and turned to leave, but looked back at her in astonishment when she called for him to wait.

"Torchwood," she said, pulling herself up to her feet gingerly.

"What about it?"

"I've been through this time already," she said. "Something bad is coming. And you're going to have to decide just how valuable I am to you as a weapon against the Doctor."

oOoOo

_Fourteen months on Earth_.

It had been weeks, months since Rose had seen the Master. Whether it was because he was punishing her for what she said, or to assure himself that he didn't see her as anything but a tool, she wasn't sure—probably both. Either way, it meant an isolation that was driving her slowly mad. The only way she had of telling that the outside world was still running at all was the regular sound of the food tray sliding through to her, and the only indication of passing days was when they turned off the lights at night, shrouding her in darkness for ten hours at a time.

Even the TARDIS, her one other source of encouragement, of real, current presence, had stopped singing. She was still there, but it was a little like the Doctor. She was distant, out of reach and…sad. She didn't know what the Master had done to her, and she had no real way of finding out, but she knew it wasn't good.

And she was still alone. All the time. More alone than she'd ever been. Even when people were forgetting her in the parallel world, she'd at least been around them, and could usually get someone's attention a few times a day, if only for a moment or two. She'd thought she knew what loneliness was then. Now, she'd give almost anything for even that.

She was thankful now for the little boost in brain power the Vortex had given her. She calculated primes to several hundred digits. She calculated happy numbers, noting mentally the smallest pandigital happy number (10,234,456,789) and the greatest happy number that didn't repeat any digits (986,543,210). She ran through the Earth periodic table, even singing the song—she wished she could remember the universal one, but only the Doctor had the brainpower (or the patience) to memorize that one. She named the bones of the body, including cranial bones, and then went on to go through muscles—she'd picked those up while endlessly quizzing Martha. She remembered everything she could from _Hamlet _and _Much Ado About Nothing_, and made haikus about random adventures (Thugs with rhino heads/Judoon platoon on the moon/genetic transfer?). Between these different mental exercises, she went over everything she knew about what the Master had been doing, everything he'd said, all his actions, trying to piece together his end goal. Other than the usual world domination and high body count, however, she'd had little success. He was good at avoiding any hints of his larger plans.

All the while, she tried to fight the growing resentment she felt toward the Doctor for the first time in her life. It had been over a year. The only time they'd been separated this long was when they were trapped in separate universes. He swore he'd always come for her, and now his best friend turned greatest enemy was holding her prisoner, and where the hell was he? Why was she still sitting in a cell in the middle of a year she'd gone through twice already?

Why had he abandoned her?

Whenever these thoughts hit, the panic attack came next, and she was left gasping and wrapping her arms around herself to try to cope. She knew, intellectually, that he would never simply abandon her, and especially not with the Master. It didn't stop the feelings from coming, but she knew that was as much to do with her solitary confinement as anything else. He would come for her. He always did.

oOoOo

_Fifteen Months on Earth._

A month after the Master made his anniversary trip to see the Doctor's wife the ghosts appeared. He'd watched in fascination as the humans had explained away what were obviously several scores of being pressing their way into this dimension. Always so quick to come up with the _stupidest_ possible explanation conceivable. However, as talks grew heavy about the energy source that came with the ghosts, the part Torchwood was playing in it, he got curious, and started paying closer attention to the institute. He'd laughed out loud when he saw the Doctor and Rose mentioned in their charter, alien threats one and two. Poor, misguided Doctor…always so oppressed by the people he saved.

He'd talked his way into Torchwood Tower, and shook his head as he sat in Yvonne Hartman's office to observe one their so-called "ghost shifts". He really was appalled when he realized what it was…travel between dimensions had been possible for Time Lords back when they all still existed, but a rift like this was…beyond dangerous. And the Void ship was…unsettling. While he would be content to simply let the humans destroy themselves, maybe even help them along, of course the Doctor would show up to save the day. Whatever happened here, whatever Rose had been talking about, it was coming soon.

"_Something bad is coming. And you're going to have to decide just how valuable I am to you as a weapon against the Doctor."_

He'd avoided going to see her after she'd had the audacity to imply that he had anything other than disdain for her. What irked him was that she had been right about one aspect…he was bored without her. Aside from the frustration released in violence and torture inflicted on her, she was the only one around with any measure of intelligence beyond policy and demographics, and the only one who didn't turn into a sniveling twerp in front of him. While he certainly thought that these puny specimens should do no less than grovel before him, it didn't change the fact that it got a bit redundant and tedious after a while. It annoyed him that she would serve any purpose for him other than a hostage, and prompted him to continue avoiding her. The prospect of returning her to the Doctor with a broken mind that he'd be bound to for eternity did have its own appeal, however, so he watched her occasionally in her isolated little cell. As weeks wore on, she started pacing more, and muttering to herself. He'd thought that madness was setting in, and had been almost gleeful. But then he'd heard what she was saying. Endless number sequences, elements, anatomical parts, Shakespeare, strange little haikus…she was doing anything she could think of to keep her mind occupied, to keep herself from the exact madness he was trying to inflict on her…and she was _good _at it. He did see some signs that the seclusion was affecting her—the panic attacks, the insomnia, the lack of appetite, the rage she occasionally displayed by punching the walls, the nightmares—but as weeks turned into months, he grew ever more confused that she was able to keep a thought in her head at all.

When the Doctor landed, he finally went to see her. The other Time Lord wouldn't be able to detect him, the perception filter being firmly in place; likewise, so long as he kept them separated, that version of the Doctor wouldn't recognize the bond with the imprisoned version of Rose. But this date had to be the one she had referred to.

He'd gone to the prison and had her summoned, letting her sit for several minutes before finally entering the interrogation room. This time she looked up at him immediately. He barely kept himself from showing his shock at the change in her. The video hadn't covered it completely. She was thinner by far, with dark circles around her eyes. Her hair, far longer, was clean, but hung in tangles down her back. Her eyes, though, were still the same. Still looking at him with more intelligence than she should have, and deeper than should have been possible.

"What happens at Canary Wharf?" he asked once he'd collected himself again.

"Cybermen coming through the Rift," she answered immediately, in an odd, clipped tone. "Pressing their way into this world. Like tracing paper, the Doctor said. Daleks in the Void ship. Cult of Skaro, with a Time Lord prison ship."

He narrowed his eyes at her. She was still sane. But…odd. Not quite used to conversation anymore…or simply didn't care enough to stick to conventions. Interesting, either way.

"What does that have to do with you?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said with a shrug. "Safe in my little cell. But—the Doctor will open the Rift in reverse, pulling them all in, sending them back to hell. I'm covered in Void stuff. It'll pull at me, too, try to suck me in."

He snorted. "I should just throw you in. Less hassle for me."

"You could do that," she said, nodding. "Yeah, you could. It would break his hearts. Except…then what've you got? Do you want him broken that quickly? If you keep me alive, you've still got an ace in the hole, yeah?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're scared."

"Terrified," she said honestly.

"Your cell is reinforced," he said after a moment. "Not a good chance that you'd be sucked out."

"A chance you want to take?" she asked. "Cause I don't."

He was almost completely sure that she wouldn't be in any danger. But he didn't want to deal with the complaints from the guards of her screaming herself hoarse in fear if she was flattened against the wall. They had already said something about the nights. And, strangely, he found little joy in her fear, at least not if it didn't have to do with him. He sighed.

"Will you be safe in the TARDIS?" he asked, and she immediately nodded vigorously. "Fine," he said, standing and calling for a guard. "But this is not because I care about a single atom of your person other than your value as the Doctor's wife. And if you try to escape, that won't save you—I will kill you without any hesitation. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," she said.

He used the psychic paper he'd found in one of the rooms of the TARDIS to give him permission to take the prisoner out for a few a hours, and drove her back to the TARDIS in its own secluded warehouse.

"What've you done to her?" she asked, looking around the console room as they entered the ship and he took the hood off her head.

"Upgrades," he said curtly, noting that her conversation was getting better.

"She doesn't like it," she said.

"Not really my problem," he said, taking a seat on the jump seat. She remained standing, pacing around the console room. Probably something about having space again.

"Are you just going to sit here?" she asked.

"Did you really think I was going to leave you _alone_ with a psychic spaceship?" he asked.

"Suppose not," she said.

They were both quiet for a while after that. She seemed content to wander around the console room, not even trying to make a run for it down the halls. Smart. No point in risking her life now that he'd been kind enough to spare it. They both looked towards the door when they heard the unmistakable _boom boom boom_ of the Cyberman footfalls, but the TARDIS would hide any signs of life within, and they were the only ones in the warehouse, so the noise faded quickly.

If only all noises did.

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

He rubbed his fingers over his temples, closing his eyes and trying to block out the infernal noise in his head, knowing it was useless.

"The drums?" she asked.

"Yes." He opened his eyes again to see her studying him. "What?"

"You seem less crazy than usual," she said. "Well, apart from the death threat if I try to escape."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically. Truth was, in the fifteen months they'd been here, he'd felt more in control when he was around her. Probably because he had control over her life. Possibly because he could feel the bond she had with the Doctor, and even that vicarious association took away from the emptiness that had added to the drumming in his head. Least likely was the fact that she had some influence over him. But the very idea of that irritated him, and he narrowed his eyes at her, wondering how best to put her in her place.

"Would you have bonded with Lucy if you could?" she asked randomly.

"Of course not," he scoffed. "She's serving a purpose, just like you."

"It bothers you that you can't get into my mind, doesn't it?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "Now I suggest you shut up, or I might be tempted to try again, if only to hear you scream."

She made a derisive noise and turned away, only to turn back immediately. "How are you gonna do it, though? Even if you win the vote, that's only gonna give you power in Great Britain. There's gotta be more to it than that."

"Oh, I'll win the vote," he replied smoothly. He wasn't going to be sucked into a monologue with her. When the Doctor did make it back, he'd ask her for information first, and the Master didn't want any of his plans revealed earlier than necessary. "As for the rest…don't want to spoil the surprise, do we?"

She was quiet again for a few minutes, and he closed his eyes again, leaning back against the jump seat.

"You know what really drives me mad about you?" she asked suddenly.

"I cannot begin to express how much I don't care," he said wearily, not opening his eyes.

"Tough," she said, and he sighed and lifting his head to look at her. She was leaning on the railing across the room, studying him. "It's just that through all the bruises, and stitches, and broken bones…through all the threats and belittling and insults and vindictive isolation…I know, I _know_ who you used to be, at least to the Doctor. And I know that what the Time Lords did to you was completely unfair. And I know that if they hadn't been such arrogant, myopic arseholes, you and the Doctor, you'd be so much…healthier."

He stared at the console, not entirely sure how to respond to this. Part of him wanted to hit her for once again assuming to know anything about him, but a part of him, some small, scarred part of him, was cheering at hearing this from someone else.

"They were what they were," he said finally.

"He told me once about how you two used to run away from the Academy together," she said quietly. "Back before…everything."

"We used to run through the fields," he said, a little absently, his eyes on the console but his mind on Gallifrey. "The grass would reach up to our waist, and we'd laugh to cover our terror. Hard to really hide from anyone in a society made of telepaths, but that never stopped us from trying. We once climbed a tree only to have it aged by the master who came to find us, the whole thing crumbling to ash underneath us. And we still kept running."

He'd yelled, the master…screamed at them when they'd jumped and taken off again, and they'd just laughed. They'd both had a beating for that, and had to put in extra hours doing galaxy supervision, but it had been worth it.

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

The drums once again came in full force, shattering the memory, and he looked up at her in rage.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he thundered, striding toward her as she backed up hurriedly. "Those boys? Those boys are dead. Dust. Ground down by years and buried with their stupid, naïve delusions of grandeur. How dare you talk about the dead as if you have some sort of right, as if you had any comprehension of them? You were centuries from even being a thought, from even having traceable ancestors." He gripped her shoulders and threw her hard against one of the coral struts, following closely to loom over her. "You think you're something because some mutation made you live a little longer, because the Doctor seems to think you're more than you are, but don't believe it. You're a speck of dust to a Time Lord. And just as worthy of attention."

He hit her with the back of his hand, his ring once again marring the flesh of her cheek as the blow spun her to the floor.

"And what's more, Rose…I think you know it," he said softly, squatting next her. "You know you're nothing. And you know that's why he hasn't come for you. Why he won't come for you. Bond or no bond, you're nothing more than a mutant, a freak of nature. And he's figured it out. He's going to let you die here, because he can't face spending forever with an abomination."

She screamed and threw herself at him, landing blows wherever she could, and he felt her nails drag over his cheek before he picked her up and threw her at the console. She landed on her shoulder, and he heard the pop as it was dislocated before she fell to the floor. He rolled his eyes and approached her, one hand on her arm and the other on her shoulder.

"Get away from me!" she screamed, but he ignored her words and the scream she let out as he popped her shoulder back into place. He let go of her then, and she dropped to the ground gasping and sobbing.

"Pathetic," he spat. He used what was left of the ship's computers to set up an alert for when the crisis was over, and sat back down on the jump seat to wait, the drums in his head drowning out the sobs of the girl breaking apart on the grating.

oOoOo

_Seventeen Months on Earth._

Rose stared at her cuffed wrists as she sat at the stainless steel table in the interrogation room. The Master had visited her intermittently after Canary Wharf, and occasionally turned on her TV for some press conference or other, but he'd changed again. The manic cheerfulness was back. For a while, he'd started to lose that when he was around her. For all the violence, for all the insanity, he'd at least seemed more honest. Something about that moment in the TARDIS had destroyed that, though. Now he was back to the happy lunatic he'd been when they first landed, and seemed to delight in the fact that moment had destroyed something in her as well, taking away her most of her strength and will. Despite the bonds she still felt weakly in her mind, she was beginning to feel like her entire life had been a dream. And despite the happier memories she tried to cling to, for once, she was losing faith in the Doctor. She knew that words the Master had spoken had been a precision attack on her psyche, and knew from experience that the Doctor had never and would never see her as an abomination, but that didn't change the fact that he still wasn't here, and she was still alone, and she was losing the fight for her own sanity.

The night before she'd had a nightmare. The Doctor and the Master meeting up after her death over drinks, laughing at her and her infallible belief that the Doctor would come for her. She'd woken up choking on resentment and anger at her husband that nearly bordered on hate. Regardless of his reasons, he'd left her to fend for herself against a known psychopath for nearly a year and a half. Logical thoughts like the fact that he didn't have a TARDIS and Jack's vortex manipulator was burnt out fought against it weakly, as did the last memory she had of him, when he'd kissed her and told her he'd be back before she knew it. The Master had said the Doctor had begged him to release her. He wouldn't just leave her. He couldn't.

Could he?

"Hello hello," the Master's chipper voice called as he sauntered in, and she looked up at him. "How's my favorite political prisoner today?"

"Peachy," she said. "How's my favorite psychopath?"

"Aw, am I really your favorite?" he asked, holding a hand over his chest. "I'm touched, really. I mean, you've met so many. And then there's always your husband."

She winced at the mention of the Doctor, and hated herself for it as his grin widened. "He's not a psychopath," she mumbled, automatically defending him.

"No, I'm sorry, just a mass murderer, traitor, and a coward," he said. "Oh…and really, really terrible at keeping promises. Guess we're both victims of that one now. Otherwise, all around nice guy."

"What do you want?" she asked wearily.

"Oh, just to tell you the exciting news!" he said. "I'm up in the polls…practically a dead lock for next month!"

"And?"

"Aren't you going to congratulate me?" he asked, but she only shrugged. "You're such a bore now," he said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah, sorry for that," she snorted.

"I'll say this, Rose," he continued, eyeing her. "Brokenness isn't a good look on you. You're looking a little…limp, listless." She looked down, staring at the cuffs again. "Ah, well. It was fun while it lasted. I guess it was a little far-fetched to believe that spirit of yours might last a while longer. But no matter."

He got up to leave as she kept her eyes lowered, hating herself for losing it, hating him for breaking her, hating the Doctor for allowing it to happen.

Then a thought suddenly clicked in her head, and she looked up at him. "Why am I still here?"

"Why wouldn't you be?" he asked, looking confused.

"You were only keeping me alive until the Doctor came," she said slowly. "So you could use me against him. I'm nothing to you…except for my connection to him. Why am I still here?"

"Because I like to smash pretty things," he said with a shrug. "It's fun to watch you shatter."

"But I'm not," she said, sitting up straighter, her voice stronger, and he narrowed his eyes at her. "Shattered, I mean. Because just wanting to smash pretty things would have ended up with me dead in the TARDIS two months ago. No…you have a reason to keep me alive."

"He's not coming for you, Rose," the Master said, watching her carefully.

"Yes, he is," she said. "He will always come for me. And what's more, you know he's coming. I dunno what you've done to stop him, or confuse him, or throw him off your scent, but I promise you, he's coming. And he's going to stop you. Because him and me, we'd rip apart the universe for each other. And you? You're nothing. A speck of dust."

She smirked at the look of rage in his eyes, knowing that she'd hit her mark, that she still had some fight left in her. Then he hit her, and everything went black.


	54. The Sound of Drums Part 1

The day Harold Saxon was to be announced as prime minister, Rose woke up with a groan. The Master had been by late the night before, gloating as usual, and had gotten annoyed when she'd appeared neither impressed nor frightened. She reached up, gingerly touching her right eye and wincing. At least it wasn't so swollen she couldn't open it this morning. The quick healing was a blessing when it came to swelling and throbbing pain...she was less concerned with how long the bruises lasted, though the Master still enjoyed the fact that the worst of them would manage little more than a few days.

She shook her head when the television in the wall blared to life, showing yet another profile of the wonderful Mister Saxon.

"Just can't get enough of yourself, can you?" she muttered, pulling herself to her feet.

The breakfast tray arrived just as she was getting out of the shower, and she sat down cross-legged on the bed to poke at it. She rarely had any appetite anymore, but she forced herself to eat at least a few bites of every meal for two reasons: one, she knew that not eating at all would kill her just as assuredly as anything the Master might plan; two, she wanted to at least appear as sane as possible.

That was the driving factor behind almost everything now, because she knew it wasn't simply paranoia that kept her believing that the Master could be watching her at any given moment. It was for this reason that she brushed her teeth and made her bed after she choked down a few bites of something mushy and non-descript. She finger combed the tangles out of her long, still blonde hair—she didn't have a mirror, but she could tell the new inches were still the same honey tone she'd dyed it years ago, before even Canary Wharf. Something about codon replacement therapy…the alien dye actually manipulated the bits of DNA that designated hair color, giving it a level of permanence unknown to Earth. She was glad, now, that she'd found it...something about still being blonde made her feel better, more like herself.

Since that day when it had clicked in her mind that the Master fully believed the Doctor was coming back, she'd done everything she could to hold on to things like that. She couldn't stop all the effects of her near complete isolation—the mood swings that would shift her from panic to rage, the insomnia, the nightmares, the paranoia, the lack of appetite—but she could keep them at bay by reminding herself that she was Rose Tyler, the woman who waged war with Time itself to stay with the Doctor and won. She ordered herself to stay strong, to fight against whatever madness might be growing, to ignore the Master's nauseating smugness and her own feelings of doubt and anger regarding the Doctor. Because if there was one thing in the universe that she could really believe in, it was the fact that the Doctor would stop at nothing to find her and save her and everyone else from whatever the Master had planned.

This new determination had fueled a new rage in the Master—the stronger she appeared to be, the more he seemed to be driven to distraction. It annoyed him that he had gotten so close to breaking her, just for her to rise up again. It had resulted in another broken arm and more than a few black eyes, but she regarded these injuries with a sort of grim triumph, because each one showed that she could get to him just by refusing to back down, while breaking her down took more and more effort from him with each passing day.

She was standing in front of the television tying off the end of the braid that hung over her shoulder when she felt it. The bond that had lain weak and distant in the back of her mind for eighteen months to the day suddenly flared to life, making the room spin as she stumbled to wall, leaning on it heavily for support. She stared at the wall in front of her in complete disbelief, all the fear and resentment and anger suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of intense happiness that she hadn't been sure she'd ever feel again.

The Doctor had come back.

oOoOo

"Oh, my head," Martha groaned as the three travelers gingerly got to their feet.

"Time travel without a capsule," the Doctor said distractedly before turning his back on them and stalking down the alley.

"Still, at least we made it," Jack said. "Earth, 21st century by the looks of it. Ha, ha, talk about lucky."

"Sh sh sh sh," the Doctor said, spinning around and holding up a hand, a look of intense concentration on his face.

"Mind meld," Martha said, and Jack glanced at her. "They can have conversations in their heads."

"Gotta love telepathy," he said with a grin. "Always wanted to try that. Granted, I've seen it go pretty wrong too. But at least we know she's still alive." He stopped when a look of horror came over the Doctor's face. "Doc? What's wrong? Is she alright?"

"She...well...she says she is," he said uncertainly. "But…Jack," he said, looking up at the captain. "He's had her for a year and a half."

"But this Master bloke, he has the TARDIS," Martha said as Jack stared at him in shock. "He could've gone anywhere. What made you so sure he'd be here at all, much less astonished about him being here for a year and a half?"

"Because he couldn't go _anywhere_," the Doctor said. "I fused the co-ordinates of the TARDIS, should've landed right here, right now...unless..."

"Unless?" Jack prompted.

"He must have realized it," the Doctor said. "Pushed the parameters. Given himself a bump. Eighteen months was the most he could've managed." He ran a hand through his hair let out a string of curses that made Jack's eyebrows jump.

"But, hold on, she said she's alright, didn't she?" Martha asked.

"She always says that," the Doctor said. "She'd say that if she was in a full body cast filled with fire ants, being forced to watch Waterworld on an infinite loop, because that's who she is. But the Master is insane, and cruel, and hates me, which gives him all the more reason to be cruel to _her_...I guarantee you she is anything but alright."

"But with that mind meld thing, couldn't you just, I dunno, find out what's been happening?" she asked.

"It's not mind reading, Martha," the Doctor said. "It doesn't work like that. And with all the practice time we put in getting her to control her thoughts...I'm not going to know anything she doesn't want me to."

"You think he'd hurt her?" Jack asked.

"Yes," the Doctor said a hard voice. "The only question is how badly, and how often. Well...that, and why she's still alive at all. And _that_...is also most likely because of me...hang on."

He turned away again, focusing on the mental conversation with his wife while Jack and Martha looked around.

"So who is he?" Martha asked. "The Master?"

"No idea," Jack said honestly. "But I think it's safe to assume that he and the Doctor have a history."

"And he's a Time Lord...so he can change his face too?" she asked. "Because that voice at the end, that wasn't the professor."

"He must have regenerated," Jack said.

"Then how are we gonna find him?" she asked.

"Already did," the Doctor said, and they turned to see him standing in front of a television in a shop front window. "He never has been very good at keeping a low profile."

"Mr Saxon has returned from the Palace and is greeting the crowd inside Saxon Headquarters," the newscaster reported as a man in his early thirties smiled and waved at the camera.

"You two missed the election," he said, glancing back at them. "Sorry about that."

"I said I knew that voice," Martha said, staring at the screen. "When he spoke inside the TARDIS. I've heard that voice hundreds of times. I've seen him. We all have. That was the voice of Harold Saxon."

"He's Prime Minister," the Doctor said. "The Master is Prime Minister of Great Britain." Their jaws dropped when the man turned to the blonde next to him and kissed her thoroughly. "The Master and his _wife_. Oh, that's just...very him."

"This country has been sick," Saxon said. "This country needs healing. This country needs medicine. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that, what this country really needs, right now…is a doctor."

"Come on," the Doctor said, turning from the television in disgust. "We need to get off the streets, regroup. Martha, your flat is close by, right?"

"Um, yeah, just down this way," she said, pointing hurriedly as they turned a corner.

"What about Rose?" Jack asked. "We need to get her away from him."

"Rose is staying where she is," the Doctor said.

"What?" Jack asked, grabbing the Doctor's arm and spinning him around. "No, we can't just leave her. You said yourself he's insane."

"Yeah, he is," the Doctor said, shrugging out of his hold. "Which means that if I go to her right now, he'll be watching, and he'll kill her before I can get anywhere near her. The only way to keep her even remotely safe is to leave her where she is."

"You've gotta be joking," Jack said, shaking his head in disbelief. "That's Rose...that's your _wife. _Time was, you'd rescue her out of the middle of a fleet of Daleks without a second thought, and now we're going to hide away in a London flat and leave her in the hands of a psychopath?"

"In case you haven't noticed, _Jack_, I don't have a TARDIS with extrapolater shielding that can materialize around her right now!" the Doctor shouted, and Jack saw the old rage that used to blaze in his blue eyes. "I've got nothing to fight with, no idea what he's doing, or what kind of place he has her in. So yes, I'm going to go sit in a London flat and try figure out something, _anything_, and keep the hell away from her, even though it kills me, because right now, that's the only chance I've got of ever seeing her alive again. Is that alright with you?"

They glared at each other for a moment as Jack tried to hold back the impulse to punch the Doctor in the face. He took a breath, trying to flip things, imagine if it was Gwen or Tosh or Ianto, even Owen, what he would do. He had to admit that he'd take the same course of action, even if the rest of the team hated him for it, even if he hated himself for it—and as much as he cared about them, his strange little mixed up family, it was nothing compared to how the Doctor felt about Rose.

"We're going to get her, Jack," the Doctor continued after a moment, quieter but still fierce and determined. "I promised her I'd always come for her, and this time is no different. I _will_ get my wife back. It's just a little more delicate than usual. So I need you here...I need to know I can count on you to have my back. Please."

Jack looked at his friend for a moment, recognizing what it took for the Doctor to admit that at all, much less to someone he'd run to the end of the universe to avoid hours before.

"Anytime, Doc," he said finally. "But I wanna be there when you take this guy down."

"You have my word," the Doctor said before turning and heading off down the street again.

oOoOo

"Home," Martha said as they stepped into her flat.

"What have you got? Computer, laptop, anything?" the Doctor asked, glancing around, and saw Jack on his mobile. "Jack, who are you phoning? You can't tell anyone we're here!"

"Just some friends of mine," Jack said, frowning at the phone before pocketing it again. "But there's no reply…"

"Here you go," Martha said, handing the Doctor her laptop. "Any good?"

"I can show you the Saxon websites," Jack said, taking the laptop and sitting down at Martha's desk. "He's been around for ages. Or, at least, there's some record of him going back ages."

"That's so weird though," Martha said. "It's the day after the election. That's only four days after I met you."

"We went flying all around the universe while he was here the whole time," the Doctor said, staring into space, then straightened abruptly. "Torchwood!"

"What about Torchwood?" Martha asked as Jack spun around in his chair, looking horrified.

"It was only three months before we met you," he said.

_What happened with Torchwood? _he asked Rose quickly.

_He kept me in the TARDIS while you opened the rift, _came her reply, and he let out a breath. But why? Why would he want to keep her alive?

_Did he mention why the sudden desire for your safety?_

_It seems I'm a valuable commodity, _she thought back dryly, and a memory seeped into his mind from hers.

"_You are nothing. A child. A pawn. A commodity whose value diminishes every time you open your mouth."_

_I'm sorry, Rose, _he thought painfully.

_Stop apologizing for him and focus on stopping him_, she replied, and he felt her lock down again.

It wasn't the first errant memory that had slipped through...there had also been something about the Master hoping he didn't damage her too badly before the Doctor made it to her, and calling her a sanctimonious bitch, and some diatribe about her being a speck of dust and just as worthy of attention. What worried him was that these were the memories that were slipping through, that she wasn't concentrating as hard on...he shuddered to think what the ones she was actively hiding involved. The whole situation was his nightmare come to life—Rose taken and hurt to some extent or another simply because she was important to him—and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it, at least not right now. She'd said herself that stopping the Master was priority, that he couldn't safely get to her until after that was accomplished, but he hated the fact that time was of essence, that he was forced to make the choice between trying to sort out what had happened to her and trying to figure out what the Master was planning.

"So?" Jack asked when he focused on them again. "How'd she manage it this time?"

"He kept her in the TARDIS," the Doctor said, pushing aside his worries about his wife's psychological wellbeing and upsetting memories with difficulty.

"That was…nice of him," Jack said, sounding as confused as the Doctor. "I guess as long as she made it, that's all that matters, right?"

"Yeah," the Doctor replied shortly as Jack turned back to the computer.

"You gonna tell us who he is?" Martha asked. "I mean, beyond an insane Time Lord. Who is he to you? He's not, like, your secret brother or something, is he?"

"You've been watching too much TV," he said, arching an eyebrow at her. "He's...it really doesn't matter. We've known each other a long time, and we've been on opposite sides for...a lot of it. He's insane, he's got Rose, and he's trying to take over the world. Really, that's all you need to know." He moved to stand next to Jack, looking over his shoulder. "Come on, show me Harold Saxon."

"Martha, where are you?" a voice asked, and he glanced up to see Martha at her ansaphone. "I've got this new job. You won't believe it. It's weird, they just phoned me up out of the blue. I'm working for—"

"Oh, like it matters," Martha muttered, turning it off as Jack started playing some of Saxon's campaign commercials. The Doctor moved to sit cross-legged on the arm of the couch as he watched.

"Former Minister of Defense," Jack said after a moment, reading off the site. "First came to prominence when he shot down the Racnoss on Christmas Eve. Nice work, by the way," he added, turning back to the Doctor.

"Oh, thanks," he said distractedly, his mind whirring.

"He goes back years," Martha said, leaning over Jack to flip through photos. "He's famous. Everyone knows his story. Look. Cambridge University, Rugby blue, won the Athletics thing, wrote a novel, went into business, marriage, everything. He's got a whole life."

oOoOo

The Master wandered through the back halls of Ten Downing street rubbing his hands together thoughtfully. The Doctor was here, most likely with Tweedledee and Tweedledum in tow, probably already talking to Rose. He wondered what she'd tell him...a month ago, he'd been sure that the Doctor would have been greeted by a broken shell, maybe even a catatonic wife. But no. Something in her had shifted, just when she'd been nearly broken...and now she was more insufferable than ever. He couldn't even beat it out of her anymore—now, he half expected her to turn to him and say "Please, sir, can I have some more?" Cheeky little bitch. So she was probably telling the Doctor everything she knew, however little that was…on the plus side, he could hope that she'd also let on how miserable her life had been the last eighteen months, and the Doctor would make a foolhardy rescue attempt that would lead to the quick end of her death—_finally_—and his capture. He checked his mobile with this thought in mind, but was disappointed when it failed to alert him to an attempted prison break.

He approached the sitting room where he'd instructed Lucy to wait for him, but paused when he heard voices inside, narrowing his eyes.

"Your husband is not who he says he is," a woman said. "I'm sorry, but it's a lie. Everything's a lie. The school days, his degree, even his mother and father. It's all invented. Look, Harold Saxon never went to Cambridge. There was no Harold Saxon. The thing is, it's obvious. The forgery is screaming out and yet no one can see it. It's as if he's mesmerized the entire world."

"I think perhaps you should leave now," Lucy said, and he smiled. The Doctor wasn't the only one who could have a faithful little human pet.

"Eighteen months ago he became real," the other woman said. "This is his first, honest-to-God appearance, just after the downfall of Harriet Jones. And at the exact same time, they launched the Archangel Network."

"Mrs Rook, now stop it," Lucy said, sounding a little alarmed, and he rolled his eyes. She was always so worried about protecting his secret, as if this Rook woman was any real threat to him.

"Even now they say that the Cabinet has gone into seclusion," the woman said. "I mean, what does that mean, 'seclusion'?"

_It means they're all dead, Mrs Rook, _he thought cheerfully.

"How should I know?" Lucy asked.

"But I've got plenty of research on you," the woman said. "Yes, good family, Roedean, not especially bright but essentially harmless. And that's why I'm asking you, Lucy. I'm begging you. If you have seen anything, heard anything, even the slightest thing that would give you cause to doubt him…"

"I think…" Lucy trailed off, and he stood up straighter, eyes narrowed.

"Yes?" Mrs Rook asked.

"There was a time when we first met," Lucy said, her voice slightly dreamy. "I wondered…But he was so good to my father. And he said…"

"What?" the old crone pressed. "Just tell me, sweetheart."

"The thing is…I made my choice," Lucy said, her voice stronger, and the Master smiled. Good girl. Good, boring, easily deluded girl. She really was the perfect accessory.

"I'm sorry?" the reporter asked, sounding stunned, and the Master put his fist to his mouth to keep from laughing as he stepped through the door behind the woman's back, leaning on the frame.

"For better or for worse," Lucy said. "Isn't that right, Harry?"

"My faithful companion," he said proudly.

"Mr Saxon," the woman said, rising quickly. "Prime Minister, I-I-I was just having a little joke with poor little Lucy. I-I didn't mean—"

"Oh, but you're absolutely right," the Master said, walking to the center of the room. "Harold Saxon doesn't exist."

"Then tell me…who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the Master," he said, and held out his hands as he mentally summoned a few of the warped little creatures that were all that remained of his once beloved refugees. "And these are my friends."

"But-" she started, then stopped, confused.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said.

_Badada dum badada dum badadadum_

"Can't you hear it, Mrs Rook?" he asked over the sound as the little spheres floated around him.

"What do you mean?" the reporter asked.

"The drumbeat," he said. "The drums coming closer and closer."

"The lady doesn't like us," a voice said from one of the spheres as they flew closer to Mrs Rook, spikes thrusting from them.

"Silly lady," another said as the spikes started spinning.

"Dead lady," said a third, and Mrs Rook screamed while the Master grabbed a hold of Lucy, dragging her from the room and closing the door behind them to deaden the screams from within. After a moment, he took a breath and reached forward, opening the door again. The screams continued and he winced, closing the door again. After another moment, he tried again, but was met with more screams. Honestly, could no one just die gracefully anymore? Rose hadn't screamed like that even during the scalpel experiment.

"But she knew," Lucy said with a gasp. "Harry, she knew everything. You promised. You said Archangel was 100%."

"Um, 99," he said. "98?"

"But if she's asking questions, then who else?" Lucy demanded, obviously panicking. "How much time have we got?"

He gave her a pitying look and held his arms out for her, and she stepped forward gratefully into his embrace. As much as he might rather tell her to shut up about things she didn't understand, she hadn't actually done anything _wrong_...she was just...a little pathetic.

"Tomorrow morning, I promise," he said as she quivered in his arms. "That's when everything ends."


	55. The Sound of Drums Part 2

"But you said he's only been here eighteen months," Jack called from the kitchen while the Doctor looked over the site some more. "How'd he manage all this?"

"Not sure," the Doctor said slowly, straightening when Jack came back into the living room with tea. "He can only travel between the year 100 trillion and now. Mind you, The Master was always sort of…hypnotic, but this is on a massive scale."

"I was gonna vote for him," Martha said.

"Really?" he asked.

"Well, it was before I even met you," she said with a shrug. "And I liked him."

"Me too," Jack said, his eyes glazing a little as the Doctor glanced between them, frowning.

"Why do you say that?" the Doctor asked. "What was his policy? What did he stand for?"

"I dunno," Martha said, in a dreamy voice, and he tilted his head as her fingers started tapping a steady rhythm. "He always sounded…good. Like you could trust him. Just nice. He spoke about…I can't really remember, but it was good. Just the sound of his voice."

"What's that?" he asked.

"What?" she asked, startled.

"That!" he cried, pointing at her hands. "That tapping, that rhythm! What are you doing?"

"I dunno," she said. "It's nothing. It's j—"

He waved a hand to shush her as he turned back to their only real source of information.

_Rose, what's with the tapping? _he asked. _I've seen it before, I swear. What's he doing? What's he told you about his plans?_

_Nothing, _she thought. _He put a lot of effort into the Archangel network, but he won't talk about any of his plans. Seems he thought I'd tell you if you made it back. Gone are the days of the villain monologue that conveniently include the one way to stop them._

_Standards are falling all over,_ he quipped distractedly. _What's the Archangel Network?_

_System of satellites, _she replied. _He became the golden boy for that one. He won't say what it's for, though._

Satellites. As he considered this, something else about what she'd thought nagged at him. Before he could examine it further, though, a chime from the computer distracted him. He looked down to see a message pop up alerting them to a broadcast by Saxon taking place.

"Our lord and master is speaking to his kingdom," he said, moving to the television and flipping it on before sitting back on the coffee table.

"Britain, Britain, Britain," the Master said. "What extraordinary times we've had. Just a few years ago, this world was so small. And then they came, out of the unknown, falling from the skies. You've seen it happen—Big Ben destroyed, a spaceship over London. All those ghosts and metal men." The Doctor winced as clips were played of the Slitheen spaceship crashing into Big Ben, then of the Cybermen marching through the streets. These were followed by a clip of the Racnoss webstar being shot down on Christmas. "The Christmas star that came to kill. Time and time again the government told you nothing. Well not me. Not Harold Saxon. Because my purpose here today is to tell you this—citizens of Great Britain…I have been contacted. A message, for humanity, from beyond the stars."

He nodded, and the display switched to a view of a metal sphere hovering in the air, lights blinking on its surface.

"People of the Earth, we come in peace," it said. "We bring great gifts. We bring technology and wisdom and protection. And all we ask in return is your friendship."

The camera switched back to the Master smiling. "Ooh, sweet. And this species has identified itself. They're called the Toclafane."

"_What_?"

_What're Toclafane? _Rose asked quickly.

_Imaginary, for one thing_, he replied. _A story told to children on Gallifrey. What the hell is he doing?_

"And tomorrow morning they will appear," the Master continued. "Not in secret, but to all of you. Diplomatic relations with a new species will begin. Tomorrow, we take our place in the universe. Every man, woman and child. Every teacher and chemist and lorry driver and farmer. And every…oh, I don't know…medical student?"

The Doctor started, then whipped around to look at Martha before lunging forward to spin the TV around, revealing a bomb counting down.

"Out!" he shouted, grabbing his coat and Martha's laptop and following the other two as they raced out of the flat and onto the street just as the front windows of her flat exploded outwards.

_Doctor! _Rose's voice screamed in his head, making him wince.

_I'm fine, _he thought quickly. _TV?_

_TV in my cell, _she thought, her relief palpable even as his jaw locked at the word "cell". _He controls it. Your old friend likes to gloat._

_Always has, _he thought. _Martha's flat is gone, but we're fine. _

He could imagine her pacing and either hitting something or chewing on her nail, possibly both, and suddenly missed her so much he had trouble breathing. It had only been a couple of hours since he'd seen her, but they had been full, so it felt like a lifetime.

_And she's been here a year and a half_, he thought to himself. _In a __**cell**_.

He shook himself and turned to his friends. "All right?"

"Fine, yeah, fine," Jack said, shaking his head to clear it.

"Martha?" He looked over at the girl to find her pulling out her mobile. "What are you doing?"

"He knows about me," Martha said, putting the phone up to her ear. "What about my family?"

"Don't tell them anything!" he warned, knowing that they'd simply be in more danger.

"I'll do what I like!" she shouted at him before turning away as her mother answered. The Doctor opened his mouth to say more, but Jack put a hand on his arm and shook his head.

"We can't all talk to our families in our heads," the captain reminded him. He made an irritated noise, but let it go as he pulled on his coat. He looked up again, though, when Martha turned and stepped closer, her face concerned.

"Dad? What are you doing there?" There was a pause, and she looked at the Doctor with alarm. "Dad? Just say yes or now. Is there someone else there?"

Then there was shouting on the other end, some scene at her parents' house exploding into chaos as he said yes.

"I gotta help them!" Martha shouted when the line went dead, sprinting for her car.

"That's exactly what they want!" the Doctor cried. "It's a trap!"

"I don't care!" she yelled at him before getting into the driver's seat. The Doctor and Jack exchanged a glance and piled in after her.

They careened through the streets, taking corners nearly on two wheels and weaving through traffic at a break-neck speed. While driving, Martha tried to call her sister, only to for them to hear her get taken into custody.

"It's your fault!" Martha shouted at the Doctor. "It's all your fault!"

He frowned and remained silent. He realized that part of that was her lashing out because her family was in trouble, but he couldn't deny that she was completely right. The entire situation was his fault. Even apart from the fact that he'd been the reason they'd met Professor Yana at all, this was his life that was once again putting the people he cared about in danger.

Martha slammed on the brakes when they entered her parents' street. Police vehicles blocked off the street, and both her parents were being loaded into a van to be taken into custody.

"I was helping you! Get off of me!" Francine was screaming at them as she struggled, then she looked up and caught sight of Martha's car. "Martha, get out of here! Get out!"

A blonde woman said something, and the police crouched into shooting positions.

"Martha, reverse," the Doctor said. He glanced at her, shaking and breathing hard as the police took aim. "Get out, now!"

She snapped back to herself, making a quick three point turn.

"Move it!" Jack yelled as the police opened fire, shooting out the rear window as she mashed her foot down on the gas and sped away.

"The only place he can go…planet Earth," Martha spat as she once again weaved through traffic at high speed. "Great."

"Careful!" the Doctor yelled as she nearly clipped yet another car.

"Now, Martha, listen to me," Jack said, taking over. "Do as I say. We've gotta ditch this car. Pull over. Right now!"

They managed to stash the car under a bridge and take off on foot. Martha once again pulled out her mobile, trying to find her brother and alert him to what was happening, while the Doctor's mind whirred. Instead of gaining any further understanding of what was going on, the situation was only spinning more out of control with the new involvement of the Jones family. Martha's anger at him was understandable and probably unavoidable, but would lead to more problems if it became more volatile, because he needed to know that he could trust her when he did manage to come up with a plan.

Of the many plans and schemes that the Master had concocted over time, this was by far the largest scope for his talents the Doctor had seen. Everywhere he turned, it seemed that some part of his life was being torn away and used to taunt him, from the woman he loved, to the friends he held close, to the planet and species he's more or less adopted, and he was at a complete loss how it was being accomplished or how to stop it.

"Let them go, Saxon," he heard Martha yell suddenly, breaking into his thoughts, and he wheeled around to see her still clutching the phone. "Do you hear me? Let them go!"

He stepped over to her quickly, handing off the laptop to Jack and grabbing the phone. "I'm here."

There was a pregnant pause at the other end before the Master acknowledged him. "Doctor."

"Master."

"I like it when you use my name," the Master said, sounding delighted indeed.

"You chose it," the Doctor said derisively. "Psychiatrist's field day."

"As you chose yours," the Master said. "The man who makes people better. How sanctimonious is that?"

"Where's Rose?" the Doctor demanded, not in the mood for trading barbs. "Where's my wife?"

"What, not even a congratulations on the election?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"Where is she?" the Doctor repeated. "What have you done to her?"

"Oh, Rose and I have had a lovely time together," the Master said. "She really is quite remarkable, Doctor. You must be so proud of her. So strong, so brave, so resilient...so quick to heal."

The Doctor's jaw clenched painfully and he threw a fist into a nearby tree, wishing to god it was the Master's arrogant face.

"Leave her alone," he said through gritted teeth. "I told you, she's nothing to do with you."

"Oh, but she has everything to do with you," the Master said. "And, in answer to your question, she's quite safe...well, relatively...in a secure facility. And I promise you, if you make any attempt to free her, she'll die before you even walk through the doors. I'm sure my new friends would love to take care of that for me."

The Doctor paused, closing his eyes and breathing deeply, trying to control the fear and fury that were threatening to overwhelm him.

"Who are those creatures?" he asked finally. "'Cause there's no such thing as the Toclafane. It's just a made-up name like the Bogeyman."

"Do you remember all those fairy tales about the Toclafane when we were kids?" the Master asked. "Back home. Where is it, Doctor?"

"Gone," he replied tersely.

"That's what she said," the Master said. "She said it was all destroyed. That you ended it."

"She told you the truth," the Doctor said, then suddenly grinned. "But you couldn't tell, could you? You couldn't verify that. Because you couldn't get into her mind, that's why you're asking me. Oh, that must have been irritating."

"I'd rather not root around in a mongrel's mind anyway," the Master said, and the Doctor arched an eyebrow. "Good trick though."

"Oh, that wasn't all me," the Doctor said. "She really is just too good."

"Not too good to be broken," the Master said. "Would you like me to tell you about her bleeding and crying on the floor of your beloved ship?"

The Doctor sobered immediately. "You were there, in the War. What happened to you?"

"The Time Lords only resurrected me because they knew I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War," the Master said, spitting the words. "I was there when the Dalek Emperor took control of the Cruciform. I saw it. I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human so they would never find me because…I was so scared."

"I know," the Doctor said.

"What did it feel like, though?" the Master asked. "Two almighty civilizations burning. Oh, tell me, how did it feel?"

"Stop it!" the Doctor snapped.

"You must have been like God," the Master said.

"Thing about being God," the Doctor said. "It's lonely. I was lonely for so long. And I know you feel it too. We're the only two left. There's nothing left to prove, Master. They're gone. You could stop this right now."

"Too late," the Master said.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"The drumming," he said. "I thought it would stop but it never does. Never ever stops. Inside my head, the drumming, Doctor. The constant drumming."

"I could help you," the Doctor said. "Please, let me help."

"It's everywhere," the Master said. "Listen, listen, listen. Here come the drums. Here come the drums."

The Doctor looked up to see a man tapping his legs to the same rhythm that Martha had been earlier.

"What have you done?" the Doctor demanded. "Tell me how you've done this. What are those creatures? Tell me!"

"Ooh, look. You're on TV!" the Master said.

"Stop it!" he snapped. "Answer me!"

"No, really," the Master said. "You're on telly! You and your little band, which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box. So, congratulations on that. Look, there you are! Ha!"

The Doctor glanced round until he saw a TV in a shop window, showing him, Jack, and Martha as wanted criminals.

"...They are known to be armed and extremely dangerous..." the newscaster was saying.

"You're public enemies number one, two and three," the Master went on as Jack and Martha joined him. "Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack that I've sent his little gang off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas so he won't be getting any help from them. Now, go on, off you go. Why not start by turning to the right?"

He turned, glancing up to see the CCTV camera. "He can see us," he told them, disabling the camera with his sonic screwdriver amidst a shower of sparks.

"Ooh, you public menace," the Master said. "Better start running. Go on. Run!"

The Doctor made a growling noise, snapping the phone shut, nearly chucking it at the wall in frustration.

"He's got control of everything," the Doctor said. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Martha demanded. "What're we gonna do?"

"Run," he said shortly, taking off.

oOoOo

"So what's the team he mentioned?" the Doctor asked Jack, glancing up from computer screen. They were alone in the abandoned warehouse they'd found and holed up in, Martha having gone out in search of food. "What have you been up to in Cardiff all this time?"

"You…might not be happy," Jack said carefully.

"Well, that sounds promising," he said, leaning back to give the captain his full attention.

Jack hesitated, then sighed, reaching over and pulling the laptop to him, typing quickly as the Doctor stood and looked over his shoulder. When the logo came up, his jaw dropped.

"_Torchwood_?" he asked, staring at Jack in disbelief.

"I swear to you, it's different," Jack said quickly. "It's changed. There's only half a dozen of us now."

"Everything Torchwood did, and you're part of it?"

"The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf," Jack explained. "I rebuilt it, I changed it. And when I did that, I did it for you, in your honor."

The Doctor snorted in disgust. "My honor? The activity with the rift, was that in my honor as well?"

"Miscalculation," Jack said, looking down, then glanced back up at him. "Hey, fun fact, turns out the Devil was trapped under the rift, and his shadow kills everything it touches."

"Really?" the Doctor asked, sitting back down and leaning back, wresting an ankle on the opposite knee. "Huh. Rose and I met him on a planet orbiting a black hole. Thought we got rid of him."

"Pesky demon," Jack said.

"Mmm," the Doctor said, nodding. "Except…that implies that you opened the rift, which could easily have destroyed the planet."

He kept his gaze steady on Jack as the captain stared back. "Mistakes happened. People were driven to do the wrong things…but for good reasons."

"Oh, that's very Torchwood," the Doctor said.

"We fixed it!" Jack said quickly. "And really, you're one to talk."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Are you serious?" Jack asked, laughing. "How do you think I can tell when you've had your hand in things?" He held up a hand, ticking things off on his fingers. "Henrik's blew up before the mannequins came to life…I'm guessing that's when you met Rose. Ten Downing Street blew up a year later. There's the earthquake in Cardiff, Canary Wharf taken care of by a transdimensional hole in the wall, the Thames _drained_ completely—"

"Yeah, alright," the Doctor said, scrubbing a hand down his face and dropping his foot back down to the floor to lean forward, his elbows on his knees.

"No one can say you don't have style," Jack said with a grin, and the Doctor smirked. Then Jack sighed and sat back. "I'll say this, though…I'm glad Rose made it. She's good for you. It's good for you to have something to come back to."

"Yeah," the Doctor said, tensing slightly. She was still locked down when they weren't in actual conversation, and while she always responded to him, she hadn't initiated anything, except for the moment of the explosion.

"It's good for her to have you, too," Jack said. "You've gotta know that. It's a credit to you that whatever he's done to her, she never doubted you'd come for her."

And then it hit him, what had bothered him about her thoughts earlier. Why she was keeping herself locked off and distant after the initial happiness and relief.

_Rose?_ he thought. _You said "if"._

_What?_

_You said he thought you might tell me his plans __**if**__ I came back for you, _he thought painfully.

_Don't_, she thought after a moment.

_Rose…_

_**Don't**__,_ she repeated forcefully.

_How could you think I wouldn't come for you? _he asked.

In a sterile white cell, walls marked only by the stains of bloodied fists beating against them in impotent rage, Rose Tyler lost control. She'd tried to keep it locked, to keep it from him, knowing he couldn't change it, he couldn't fix it, but with the simple question, she broke down, the gate around the bond bursting open and everything she'd been holding back from him pouring through at once.

The Doctor stiffened as he was overwhelmed by Rose's memories of the previous eighteen months. He saw every injury inflicted, heard every word designed to wound, felt the emotional storm created by her various levels of isolation. With every example of physical and psychological horror, his rage grew. Before it was over, he was on his feet and shaking, his fists and jaw clenched painfully. Of course she'd doubted him; between the bump in time, the torture, and the seclusion, the Master had created a situation in which her faith in anything was systematically beaten from her.

In their entire history, the Doctor had never actually desired to end the Master the way he did in that moment. More than that, he wanted to end him as painfully as possible. He wanted to rain down fire on the man who thought he could take something so precious and try to destroy it.

His eyes slid closed as the memories faded and he struggled to contain some of his fury before he threw away all rational thought and hunted the Master down, regardless of the consequences.

She hadn't been broken, not completely. He could tell that. Through all the doubt and anger, the fear and resentment, she still loved him, still believed in him, no matter how hard it got, because she was Rose. But she was still alone, still scared, still unsure of anything, even herself. The Doctor took a few deep breaths, thinking quickly as he tried to figure out some way to start undoing the damage the Master had caused.

_Rose, listen to me_, he thought once he'd gotten some control over himself again. _Everything the Master's done, everything he's said, it was with the express intent of breaking down your faith in yourself and in me. But you are so much better than that, so much better than him. Don't give him that power over you. Even if I can't be there yet, you're not alone anymore. And I swear to you, you were never abandoned, never forgotten. You were stolen. He wasn't supposed to be able to have you this long. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for that, but I went after you as soon as it was physically possible, and there is nothing, __**nothing**__, that is going to stop me from getting you back now. Do you understand me, Rose?_

He held his breath until he heard a quiet yes from her mind, followed quickly by: _God, I've missed you._

_Not for much longer,_ he assured her. _I love you, Rose._

_Always, my Doctor_.


	56. The Sound of Drums Part 3

_**Okay, over half way done with this arc. Huzzah! Some scenes in this one ended up slightly more...redundant than usual, mostly because Rose isn't actually there with them, so some things are bound to stay the same when things don't directly concern her. Hopefully changing up the POV will keep it from getting too boring. We'll see.**_

_**Thanks as always to my phenomenal followers and reviewers (1400 reviews? HOLY CRAP!), as well as my BRILLIANT BetaBabe, who keeps me sane when the characters all mutiny and decide they'd rather go make s'mores together than fight with each other.**_

* * *

When the Doctor took on the glazed look that signified total focus on a conversation with Rose, Jack had turned back to the computer, searching for anything new relating to Martha's family or Saxon. He looked up again when the Doctor suddenly stiffened, then watched as a dark, cold fury filled the man, his features hardening as he got to his feet, his whole body vibrating with tension. Whatever conversation was happening with Rose had made the Doctor angrier than Jack had ever seen him, with this face or the last—if the Master wasn't so obviously out of his mind, Jack might have almost felt sorry for him.

"Doctor?" Jack asked after a few minutes, when the Doctor seemed a little more in control.

The Doctor's eyes snapped open, and Jack quickly realized that control didn't mean the anger was gone, just that it was now dangerously focused.

"The Archangel Network," he said. "What is it? Military, communications, what?"

"Communications," Jack said, bringing up a schematic quickly. "Worldwide mobile phone network. They've got 15 satellites in orbit. Even the other networks, they're all carried by Archangel."

The Doctor nodded and looked down at the schematic, but glanced up as Martha came back.

"How was it?" Jack asked.

"I don't think anyone saw me," Martha said, putting a bag of food down on the table. "Anything new?"

"No," the Doctor said shortly, stepping around the table toward her. "I need your phone."

"What for?" she asked.

"Just give it to me," he snapped.

"Hold on," Martha said with a frown. "I know you're stressed, Doctor, but you know what, you're not the only one with family out there."

"Martha," Jack said in a warning voice, standing and glancing between them as the Doctor's face darkened again.

"No," Martha said, properly angry now. "I know you don't really care about anything other than you and Rose, but I've done everything for you two, even when _you _broke her heart, I helped you, the least you could do is at least _pretend_ to care about someone else for a minute. Your old chum has _my_ family in custody, Doctor. Do you get that?"

"My wife has spent the last year and a half being beaten to the point of splints and stitches, all while being told that the reason for it is because _I_ abandoned her, do you get _that_?" the Doctor asked, his eyes flashing dangerously. "That's when she wasn't left alone for weeks or months in a cell to go slowly mad for a psychopath's amusement, all because she's important to me, so you'll have to excuse me if your parents being thrown into a van because your mother decided to _help_ him is a little lower on my priority list right now!"

"Doctor, calm down," Jack said, grasping his arm with one hand and forcing the Doctor to look at him. "That's not going to help her or us."

The Doctor took a slow breath, closing his eyes again as he struggled to regain his incredibly tenuous composure.

"I'm sorry, Martha," he said quietly after a moment. "I am. I'm sorry your family is involved, I'm sorry I dragged you into my battle. But if either of us are going to get our families back intact, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"

"I...yeah," Martha said as she pulled out her mobile, having gone very quiet after the Doctor exploded. "Here."

"Thank you," he said quietly, taking the phone from her. He shook himself a little as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and started scanning the phone. "I did say the Master's a hypnotist, right? That's what the Archangel Network's for...it's in the phones." He stopped scanning and tapped the phone on the table a couple of times, and it began to beep in a familiar rhythm. "There it is. That rhythm, it's everywhere. Ticking away in the subconscious."

"What is it, mind control?" Martha asked, stepping closer.

"No, no, no, no," he said. "Subtler than that. Any stronger and people would question it. But contained in that rhythm, in layers of code… Vote Saxon. Believe in me. Whispering to the world. Oh, yes! That's how he hid himself from me. 'Cause I should have sensed there was another Time Lord on Earth. I should have known way back. The signal cancelled him out."

"Any way you can stop it?"

"Not from down here," the Doctor said. "But now we know how he's doing it."

"And we can fight back," Martha said.

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor cried, triumphant in finally finding the end of the string that would unravel the Master. Jack smiled, glad to see his friend have some kind of hope rather than just fear and anger, and hoping sincerely that this would bring an end to the nightmare, so they could reunite Martha with her family and bring Rose home before the night was over.

oOoOo

Rose tilted her head up and regarded the Master stonily as he walked into the room, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"You do realize you're still trapped, right?" he asked as he sat down.

"Just a matter of time," she replied evenly. She was still pale and skinny, almost sickly with the dark circles around her eyes, but her voice was stronger than it had been in months, her eyes more alert. "Don't you have Prime Minister things to do?"

"Oh, but those are so boring," he complained. "Especially since the entire cabinet is dead."

"Seclusion," she snorted.

"I'm on my way to meet the President right now," the Master said. "Apparently, he's upset that he's been left out on the whole Toclafane affair."

"What are they?" Rose asked. "The Toclafane? Because that's not a real species."

"You and your Doctor, always so curious," he said. "No matter. The Doctor can't even move without me knowing it now. I've got control of everything, and everyone. He's gone into hiding."

"Wouldn't be too sure of that, mate," Rose said. "See, the way I see it, there's only one thing you're really better at than the Doctor."

"What's that?" he asked.

"Being defeated," she said cooly.

His hand came out in a blur, splitting her lip, but she turned her head again quickly and spat blood at him.

"You filthy whore!" he yelled, jumping to his feet and wiping the blood from his face. He regained his composure quickly, though, and looked down at her coldly. "He can't save you. You might think he's a superhero, but you, my dear, are his kryptonite. So long as I have you, he'll do anything to keep you alive. I'll have him cheerfully building his own gallows and tying the noose if he thinks that it'll mean saving you. It won't, ultimately...and then I'll let him hang himself when he realizes that everything he loves is mine to destroy."

"He will stop you," Rose said, still so incredibly, irrationally sure.

"He'd better do it quick," the Master said with a shrug as he turned for the door. "Because come the morning, it won't matter what he does. The drums are coming, and humanity will fall."

"You can still stop this," she said as he reached the door, and he hesitated.

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

"No, Rose," he said. "I can't."

oOoOo

They moved through the city like ghosts, avoiding the busiest of streets and sticking to the shadows. The TARDIS keys the Doctor had welded to the network kept them from being noticed as they made their way to the airport where Harold Saxon was due to meet with the President of the United States. They watched from a distance the Master danced around the other man, his obnoxious character hiding his darker intents from the angry and impatient leader. There was a moment, after the President had turned away, returning to his own motorcade, that the Doctor worried for a split second that the perception filter was breaking down, when the Master seemed to look straight at them, but then he turned away again, and the Doctor breathed out. He watched in disgust while the Master gleefully greeted Martha's angry and confused family as they spilled out, putting a hand on Martha's arm to keep her in place.

"Oh my God," the girl said, trembling slightly.

"Don't move," he cautioned her in a low voice.

"But-"

"Don't," he repeated as the Jones family was loaded into a land rover.

"I'm gonna kill him," Martha muttered angrily.

"Say I use this perception filter to walk up behind him and break his neck?" Jack said.

"Don't tempt me," the Doctor said darkly, watching the Master get into another car with his wife. "He's a Time Lord. He's my responsibility. I have to at least try to save him."

"Aircraft carrier Valiant," Jack said after a moment, looking at his wrist strap. "It's a UNIT ship at 28.2N and 10.02E."

"How do we get onboard?" Martha asked.

The Doctor glanced at Jack. "Does that thing work as a teleport?"

"Since you revamped it, yeah," Jack said. "Coordinates set."

They all put their hands on the vortex manipulator as Harold Saxon drove away, and the Doctor activated it with a press of a button, spinning them off to Valiant.

_Where the hell did you go now?_ Rose's voice shouted in the Doctor's head as soon as they stabilized. He glanced at the windows and winced when he realized it was morning-he'd flown through several hours again.

_Jack's bloody space hopper_, he thought back. _Still here, though._

_He said it would all come to an end this morning_, she thought.

_Well, it's still morning_, he thought. _I've still got a chance. Just sit tight. It won't be long._

_I love you, _she thought quickly. She was a little less closed off now, and a little less frightened...still angry, but not as much at him anymore. All good signs...so long as he was able to get her out soon.

_Always, Rose_, he thought back.

"Welcome to the Valiant," Jack was saying when he focused back on the situation at hand.

"It's dawn," Martha said, walking to a porthole and peering out. "Hold on, I thought this was a ship. Where's the sea?"

"A ship for the 21st century," Jack said. "Protecting the skies of planet Earth."

"C'mon," the Doctor said after a moment, moving with purpose through the cargo hold of the ship. After a few minutes of running, though, he came to a halt, listening intently.

"We have no time for sightseeing!" Jack said, confused.

"No, no, wait. Shh, shh, shh," the Doctor said, holding up a hand. "Can't you hear it?"

"Hear what?" Jack asked.

"Doctor, my family's on board," Martha said, pushing past him.

"Brilliant!" he said with a smile, then looked around. "This way!"

The other two followed as he bolted down a set of stairs and ran through the maze of corridors, skidding to a halt in front of a pair of double doors and pulling them open to reveal the TARDIS.

"Oh, at last!" he cried happily, running to his ship, barely hearing Jack ask what it was doing here. Something was...off...hopefully just a power down. The Master had probably put it here for a quick getaway if necessary. No matter...he finally had the chance at getting the upper hand.

At least, he thought so.

"What the hell's he done?" Jack burst out, the shock clearly evident in his voice as they took in the interior of the ship.

"Don't touch it," the Doctor said, his voice low and angry again.

"I'm not going to," Jack assured him as they walked toward the center of the console room, the machinery built into the console caged off.

"What's he done though?" Martha asked. "Sounds like it's… sick."

"It can't be," the Doctor said quietly. "No, no, no, no, no, no, it can't be."

No wonder he hadn't been able to feel her before now. Rose had said something was wrong with her, but he hadn't expected _this_. Yet another thing the Master had taken from him and twisted for his own purposes...as well as the only source of comfort Rose might have been able to have while he was gone. His fists clenched tightly as dark fury coursed through him again.

"Doctor, what is it?" Martha asked.

"He's cannibalized the TARDIS," he said softly.

"Is that what I think it is?" Jack asked.

"It's a paradox machine," the Doctor said, walking around it before kneeling down to examine the gauge on the side. "As soon as this hits red, it activates. At this speed, it'll trigger at...two minutes past eight," he said, pulling out his watch and glancing at it...then hesitating as he shut it, his thumb moving over the cover lightly.

"First contact is at eight," Jack said, pulling him from his thoughts. "And then two minutes later…"

"What's it for?" Martha asked as he stood and pocketed his watch again. "What's a paradox machine do?"

"More importantly, can you stop it?" Jack asked.

"Not until I know what it's doing," he said, looking around again. "Touch the wrong bit and blow up the solar system."

"Then we've got to get to the Master," Martha said.

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "How do we stop him?"

"Oh, I've got a way," he said, looking up as his friends stared at him. "Sorry, didn't I tell you?"

oOoOo

"For as long as man has looked to the stars, he has wondered what mysteries they hold," President Winters was saying as the trio slipped into the conference room. "Now we know we are not alone…"

"This plan, you gonna tell us?" Jack asked quietly.

The Doctor held up his key to the TARDIS. "If I can get this around the Master's neck…cancel out his perception, they'll see him for real. It's just hard to go unnoticed with everyone on red alert," he added, glancing around. "If they stop me…you've got a key."

"Yes, sir," he said.

"I'll get him," Martha whispered fiercely, and Jack exchanged a look with the Doctor before turning back to the president.

"And I ask you now," Winters said. "I ask of the human race, to join with me in welcoming our friends. I give you the Toclafane." With those words, the spheres appeared around him, hovering at eye level. The Doctor began moving slowly around the room as Winters turned to address them. "My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President-Elect of the United States of America and designated representative of the United Nations. I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon.

"You're not the Master," one of the spheres said, and Jack glanced at the Doctor, who was frowning deeply.

"We like the Mr Master," said another sphere.

"We don't like you," chimed in the third.

"I…can be Master, if you so wish," Winters said, and Jack rolled his eyes. He would. "I will accept mastery over you if that is God's will."

"Man is stupid," the third sphere said shortly.

"Master is our friend," said the first voice.

"Where's my Master?" the other sphere asked. "Pretty please?"

"Oh, all right then. It's me," the Master said, jumping to his feet. "Ta-da! Sorry. Sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know. It's crazy!"

"Saxon, what are you talkin' about?" Winters demanded.

"I'm taking control, Uncle Sam," the Master said, serious now. "Starting with you. Kill him."

One of the spheres swooped down and shot Winters with a laser, disintegrating him immediately. Chaos erupted as everyone tried to leave the room at once while the Master laughed and clapped, before whipping around and calling for the guards. Around the room, guards took out weapons, stopping everyone in their tracks. Jack looked toward the Doctor, who was looking around the room with a frustrated expression, trying to sort out the best way to get to the Master now that the tension had spiked.

"Now then, peoples of the Earth," the Master said into one of the cameras. "Please attend carefully."

"Stop him!" a guard shouted as the Doctor rushed forward. Two guards grabbed hold of him, driving him to his knees and snatching the key from him.

"We meet at last, Doctor," the Master said. "Oh! I love saying that!"

"Stop this!" the Doctor shouted desperately. "Stop it now!"

"As if a perception filter's gonna work on me," the Master scoffed, looking around until he caught sight of Jack and Martha. "Oh, and look, it's the girlie and the freak. Although, I'm not sure which one's which."

Jack glanced at the Doctor before rushing forward, intent to get the key around the Master's neck. Before he could manage more than a few steps, though, the Master's arm whipped out, holding a device, and pain exploded in Jack's chest before he died once again. He wished he could at least say there was a white light, or loved ones beckoning to him, but no. It was all just pain and then darkness until he gasped back to life.

When he came to, Martha's arms were around him, and the Doctor was screaming. He looked up to see his friend convulsing strangely as the Master pointed his device at the Doctor with a cruel look on his face.

"Teleport," he muttered, pulling off his wrist strap and pushing it into Martha's hands.

"I can't," Martha whispered.

"We can't stop him," Jack said. "Get out of here. Get out."

She shook her head again, tears in her eyes, but then they both turned their attention to the Doctor when the screaming stopped suddenly. Jack stared in horror as the Doctor attempted to push himself up on his knees, his body now unbelievably aged. Martha immediately moved away from the captain to check on him.

"Doctor, I've got you," she said, putting her arms around him.

"Aw, she's a would-be doctor," the Master said with a twisted smile. "But tonight, Martha Jones, we've flown 'em in all the way from prison—"

The doors at the end of the room slid open, and guards escorted Martha's family and a girl Jack assumed was Martha's sister into the room.

"Mum," Martha said softly.

"I'm sorry," her mother said, crying.

"The Toclafane," Jack heard the Doctor mutter to the Master. "Who are they? Who are they?"

"Doctor, if I told you the truth...your hearts would break," the Master said, putting his hand on the Doctor's chest.

The Master stood, and the spheres flew to him, circling him as they hovered.

"Is it time?" one of them asked.

"Is it ready?"

"Is the machine singing?"

The Master glanced at them, then at his watch. "Two minutes past," he said as he mounted the steps toward Lucy to look out the window. "So! Earthlings. Basically, um, end of the world. Here…come…the drums!"

Music started blaring through the room, and through the windows, they could see a rift open in the sky. The Toclafane poured in through the rift, swarms of spheres descending to Earth.

"Down you go, kids!" the Master shouted at them over a speaker from where he stood with his wife at the bridge. He shared another quick word with Lucy, and Jack was nauseous at how...excited they seemed about all of this. "Remove one-tenth of the population!"

It was less than a minute before the messages started pouring in from the surface, from every county, people crying out for help as they were slaughtered without mercy. Jack turned to see the Doctor talking to Martha with quiet urgency as tears poured down the girl's face. After a while, he nodded at her, and she got to her feet shakily, Jack's vortex manipulator clutched in her hands. She took another long look at the Doctor, at Jack, and at her family, then activated the manipulator and disappeared. Jack looked at the Doctor, disheartened by the completely hopeless look in the man's face. At least Martha was able to get out. One person would be safe.

"And so it came to pass…that the human race fell and the Earth was no more," the Master said for everyone to hear. "And I looked down upon my new dominion as master of all and I thought it…good."

The Doctor's hopelessness changed to rage as he looked up at the Master. "What about Rose?"

"What about her?" the Master asked, turning back to them.

"You've brought the Jones family on board," the Doctor said. "What about mine? Let me see her!"

"Oh, be my guest," the Master said, skipping down the steps and pointing his screwdriver at the screen on the wall. A black and white picture came up of tiny room, furnished only by a bed, with a door in one wall leading to what looked like a small bathroom, the sink just barely visible. An unnaturally thin girl paced in the small allowance of space in front of the bed, chewing on a nail. It wasn't until she glanced up that Jack's jaw dropped-until then, he just couldn't believe that it was her. Even with that, he was shocked at the change in her, the sunken quality of her cheeks and eyes, even apart from the dark bruises that covered her right eye and cheek, as well as the left side of her mouth.

"Let her on board!" the Doctor cried desperately. "Please, you've got us both captive, at least have enough mercy to give her back to me!"

Jack wasn't surprised in the least by the contemptuous laugh the Master let out. The Doctor had to know that just by wanting Rose here, he'd doomed her to stay there.

"You know, as much fun as it would be to have her so accessible, I think not," he said. "I'm sure you thought that getting her here would allow you two the telepathic edge, but I think Mrs Tyler is more suited to her current surroundings. Sorry to disappoint you, Doctor."

He laughed again, then took Lucy's hand and led her out of the room, giving orders to have the Jones family put to work and Jack contained. Guards grabbed him and hauled him to his feet, and he looked back at the Doctor. His friend was watching the screen with a hard expression, but Jack could swear he saw the faintest glint of triumph in the Doctor's now aged eyes. He looked up at Jack and nodded, and Jack allowed himself a grim smile as he was dragged from the room.


	57. Lost at Sea

_**I think I'm going to go hide in BetaBabe's BetaCave until this story is over.**_

* * *

"Where is Martha Jones?" the Master asked, pulling a chair up in front of the Doctor and sitting down with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of him. "What's she doing?"

"Staying away from you," the Doctor answered.

"No, no, it's more than that," he said. "Because you said something to her before she disappeared. And there's been talk that she's looking for something. What is it?"

"Haven't the foggiest," the Doctor said woodenly.

The Master looked at him steadily for a moment, but the Doctor didn't flinch. "You know you've already been beaten," he said finally. "All this is just an exercise to show by how much."

"You've proven your point," the Doctor said through gritted teeth. "So let them go."

"Oh, I don't think so," the Master said, leaning back. "The Jones girls are such good little maids, and it's so hard to find good service these days. And Jack…well, Jack has been an amusement. I can shoot him, stab him, beat him…and he just keeps coming back."

"And Rose?" the Doctor asked. "It's been weeks. Months. You don't even have the luxury of knowing that I can feel her pain since she figured out a way to block that as well. Why are you still keeping her? Why still go see her?"

"You're going to tell me that it doesn't hurt you to see her in agony, even if you can't feel her physical pain?" the Master asked, and the Doctor looked away. "I thought not. As for why I still go see her…well, I should think that would be obvious. Because you can't."

The Doctor slumped back in the wheelchair he was sitting in as the Master rose smoothly and walked out of the room. Everything ached. He hated being in an old body. He hated it more when he was in what appeared to be a hopeless situation. No one knew about his plan, except Martha. He'd been able to give her a basic idea, given what he knew of the Master, what he'd been able to sense in the timelines—the talk of the rockets only confirmed this for him. But he was never alone with Jack, and he didn't exactly trust the Jones family, and the feeling was fairly mutual, far as he could tell. He'd sent Martha away…Francine had hated him from the start, and while she could admit that maybe he _wasn't_ the villain in this story, she still didn't like him. If she thought there was a chance of saving her family by giving him up, she wouldn't hesitate. And Tish would tell her mother anything. And if Rose showed _anything_ more than her usual faith in him, the Master would pick up on it, and torture her until one of them cracked, or she was dead. And that…was just not something he could deal with.

So he had to wait, and hope, and watch as the Master ground everyone in his circle of influence beneath his heel and terrorized the earth with the time bending spheres from Utopia…all because of him. Millions of people slaughtered because they'd been sucked into his battle with a psychotic Time Lord.

Rose had cried the day he'd worked out the paradox. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it. All those people they had worked so hard to save, only to come back as warped minions for the Master, giggling as they cause chaos and destruction at his command.

It helped to be able to be able to talk to Rose telepathically…she'd understood why he didn't want to tell her the plan, eventually. She didn't like it, but she trusted him, neither of them wanted to argue when things were so bleak anyway. So instead, they'd reverted to some of their old habits of telling each other stories about things that happened before they'd met—it didn't matter that they both knew the stories that shaped the other now; something was added in the telling, in the little, benign details. That, and planning places they'd go once they finally got home, all the galaxies and worlds they had yet to explore. There was a fair bit of denial involved; she knew he was aged and aching, he knew that she was bruised and frail, but in their minds, they were the Doctor and Rose, just as they should be, just as they'd always been.

But his hands still itched to hold hers, and his arms felt empty without her nestled against him. He missed her more than he could believe possible…and hated the Master for going to see her, for being the only one able to touch her, and using that touch to hurt her.

But nothing lasted forever. Someday, Martha would come back, and, if everything went the way the Doctor thought it would, he'd finally have a chance at the upper hand, using the Master's own tools to orchestrate his downfall. And then they would both have to hope that the Doctor still had a drop of mercy left to grant him.

oOoOo

Rose sat in the interrogation room staring at the silver cuffs on her wrists. Three months. Three months since the Doctor came back…and she was still here. She wasn't blaming the Doctor, not anymore…she knew that if there had been anyway for things to go differently, they would have. And she knew that he still had a plan, even if he wouldn't tell her. But time was still dragging on, and even if it did help to be able to talk to him telepathically again, it was a little like putting plasters on gaping wounds. She was still stuck in that bloody white room all the time, with brief holidays to the interrogation room, and it was still affecting her. She still barely managed to choke down a few bites at meals, her moods were still…erratic, and while she hadn't needed as much sleep as the average human when she'd been taken, she was rivaling the Doctor now in how long she would go without sleep. The Doctor was concerned, and frustrated with his own powerlessness. She'd almost laughed, though, when he reminded her that he'd warned her long ago that if she tried to compete with him on who could survive on less sleep, she'd lose.

Her eyes slid closed when she thought of the Doctor. She'd watched the events unfold on the Valiant on the TV in her cell. She'd seen him convulse and drop, an ancient body taking the place of the one she'd come to know so well. It broke her heart to see him like that—the man that was so strong, all the time, so powerful…so weak and broken. Then when they'd all realized that he could feel every bit of pain she did, she'd hated herself for putting him through that, hated the Master for causing it.

He'd broken her ankle that time, because he knew how much she hated being immobile. She'd kicked him hard with the same leg as soon as she was able.

The beatings had tapered again once she'd figured out how to block the pain off from the Doctor, but the visits hadn't, so she still ended up with bruises occasionally, because she still wasn't any good at being a well-behaved hostage.

All she could hope was that soon, it would all be over.

"Good afternoon, Mrs Tyler!" the Master said congenially as he entered the room, and she rolled her eyes. "What, no pleasantries?"

"Can we just skip over the part where you act like we're best friends and I go through all the synonyms for psychopath?" she asked.

"Are there many?" he asked as he sat down.

"Oh, let's see," Rose said, drawing in a breath. "Madman, maniac, lunatic, nutcase, _head_case, nutjob, screwball, sicko, psycho, crazy, kook, loon—"

"Oh, well done," he said with a smile. "Good to know your mind is still so sharp even if…" He eyed her, sucking in a breath and shaking his head. "You're not looking so good, Rose. A bit skeletal, really."

"Rather sick in the body than sick the head," she said easily.

"To each their own," he said, leaning back.

"You could still stop this," she said quietly.

"And what? Give your precious _Doctor_ control over my life?" he asked with a derisive snort. "I think not."

"No, you don't get it," she said. "That's you. You're the Master, the one who wants to dominate people. He's the Doctor…the one who wants to save people."

"God, what is it with you two?" he asked. "What makes you so high and mighty, so sure of your place on the side of all that's righteous and good in the universe?"

"Well, we've never tried to take over the world, for starters," she said with a shrug.

"Oh, but he did," the Master said. "He helped start that revolution. He saw how twisted everything was, same as me."

"And what have the two of you done since then?" she asked. "How have you proven your worth is so much more than the people who made your life such a living hell? He's saved the entire universe a few times over, and countless worlds. You…all you want to do is destroy, to make yourself some sort of god."

"I have that right," he said.

"According to who, exactly?" she asked. "That's exactly what you thought was wrong with the Time Lords. How does that make you better? What, exactly, were you fighting for? And what would that man have thought of you now?"

He eyed her steadily for a moment. "What is Martha Jones doing?" he asked, flipping the subject on her with a suddenness that nearly gave her whiplash.

"How should I know?" she asked.

"The Doctor thinks he has a plan," the Master said thoughtfully. "What is it?"

"I don't know," she said, and sucked in a breath when the sudden backhand made pain bloom across the side of her face.

"Let's try that again," he said. "What. Is. His. _Plan_?"

"He hasn't told me," she said honestly. "And hitting me, hurting me, isn't going to change that. And it's not going to make him tell you, either."

"Are you sure about that?" he asked. "You haven't seen him recently…and you only hear what he wants you to. You don't know how much pain he's in with every injury you suffer, how much he suffers when your mind flies just a bit more away from you. The weaker you get, the weaker he becomes. You are his fatal flaw."

"Just another thing you're never going to understand," Rose said, a little sadly. "Yeah, I know it hurts him when you hurt me. But that doesn't make him weaker. That just makes him want to fight harder. Trying to break me won't break him, Master, because love isn't a disadvantage. It's a reason to fight, a reason to keep going, no matter how hard the struggle gets."

"Perhaps you're right," he said thoughtfully. He studied her for another moment, then stood and left without another word.

oOoOo

"You know, boys, we could be having a lot more fun than this with these handcuffs," Jack said as he was escorted through the ship. "What, no takers? Well, the offer still stands."

"Nice of you to join us, Captain," the Master said, sitting at the head of the conference table with his feet propped up on the surface, his fingers steepled in front of him. "We've got a special group activity planned."

"Any idea what's going on?" Jack asked the Doctor quietly when they stood him next to the now elderly man's chair.

"No idea," the Doctor said with a frown. "But I'm almost certain I won't like it."

"Topic of discussion today: euthanasia," the Master said, standing and surveying them. "Is it unethical? Or is it our duty to help those that are suffering find their way to a peaceful end?"

"What is this about?" the Doctor asked wearily.

"You know, you could at least grant me a little discourse," the Master said, frowning. Jack and the Doctor continued to stare him down silently, and he sighed. "Fine. Here's the thing, Doctor…Jack…have you seen Rose Tyler lately?"

A view of Rose in her cell popped up on the large screen on the side of the room. Jack was appalled at the fact that she actually seemed thinner than when he'd seen her three months ago, the dark circles around her eyes deeper than ever and blending in with the fresh bruise across the side of her face. She had her knees up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, and looked so small, so frail…and then he looked down at the Doctor in horror when the Master's words sunk in.

"No," the Doctor said desperately, sitting up straighter. "Please no. Not that. Please. Anything but that."

"But do you really think it would be fair to let her continue to suffer for you, Doctor?" the Master asked. "Because that's what's going to happen. Her injuries will continue, as will her psychological deterioration. Your telepathic conversations can only hold off so much. Is that what you want for your wife?"

"Please, just let her go," the Doctor pleaded. "Don't kill her. She's nothing to you. Please, Master."

"Interesting," the Master said. "See, I just had a conversation with your wife an hour ago, and she seemed to think that she wasn't your weakness, that she was your reason to fight. But here you are, _begging_ for her life."

"He won't kill her," Jack said, eyeing the Master. "Then he loses whatever leverage he has."

"Captain Harkness," the Master said slowly. "Look around you. I have _all_ the leverage. And Mrs Tyler has, I think, outlived her usefulness."

He gave an order into a handheld radio, and they saw two guards enter Rose's cell and grab her roughly, easily overpowering her attempts to fight back and forcing her down on her knees, pistols held to her head.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, teeth bared as he clutched at the arms of his chair. "No, don't do this. Not this. I promise you, Master, you can't come back from this. Just stop, now, _please._"

"Beg," the Master said, leaning down to look at the Doctor as the other man's eyes flitted madly from the screen to him. "Come on, say it. Beg me not to kill her."

"I'm begging you," the Doctor said, his voice hoarse. "Don't kill her."

"Tough," the Master said, straightening quickly. "Fire," he ordered into the radio, and Jack watched in horror as shots exploded from the pistols, and Rose fell to the ground.

At the same time, the Doctor let out the most agonized scream Jack had ever heard, and his head whipped around to watch the Doctor fall from the chair to his knees, clutching his head and whispering his wife's name repeatedly.

"No," he said, his eyes burning. "No, it can't be. It's got to be some sort of trick. Doctor?"

The Doctor was silent and still except for his gasping breaths. The Master stepped between them and crouched next to the Doctor.

"What do you think, Doctor?" he asked.

The Doctor looked up at the Master, and Jack's eyes widened at the undiluted hate and fury in his expression.

"It's no trick, Jack," he said in a hollow voice, his eyes shifting over to Jack. "Rose Tyler is dead."

"You son of a bitch!" Jack shouted, struggling against his cuffs, then against the guards as they pulled him from the room. "You complete and utter _bastard_!"

The last thing he saw was the Master leaving through another door, and the Doctor hanging his head, still on his knees, the picture of defeat.


	58. Checkmate

_**Yeah, definitely staying in the BetaCave. But thanks for your reviews...even if some of them were a little hostile :P Fifteen hundred reviews, because you guys are just so incredibly awesome.**_

* * *

The Master stalked through the corridors of the Valiant moodily. It had been eight months since the Doctor had made his laughably useless return, but time was now back to moving so _slowly_. Initially, he'd enjoyed showing the Doctor just how incredibly badly he'd been beaten, flaunting his control over everything the other man held dear, but after Rose Tyler had died, the Doctor had gotten incredibly dull. For the first week or so, he'd been completely catatonic, which had been mildly interesting if only because seeing the Doctor so defeated was something of a novelty. But then even when he'd started coming out of it, picking up his old habit of whispering words of encouragement and reassurance to others, he flatly refused to speak to the Master. If the Doctor acknowledged the Master at all now, it was with a cold, silent stare, which was, frankly, boring. Impotent rage was cute but redundant.

"_But he still loves you…for who you were, and for who you could have been, and for who you still could be if you would just __**stop**__."_

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

Everything seemed a bit…lackluster now. Even killing the freak in the hold had lost its appeal. Searching for Martha Jones just irritated him…he'd been so sure that she'd be lost in Japan, and had been so ready to hold it over his captives head, only to find reports that she'd been in New York hours later. But, just like always, it was only reports that she'd been there. Never where she was currently. Never where she was going. She was a ghost, leaving little but legend behind her. All for her Doctor.

"_He's saved the entire universe a few times over, and countless worlds. You…all you want to do is destroy, to make yourself some sort of god."_

Since his last visit to the Doctor's wife, he hadn't left the Valiant. He had no reason to. All the people he'd taken a personal interest in were on board with him now, and humanity was being taken care of by his lovely children.

"_What, exactly, were you fighting for? And what would that man have thought of you now?"_

He'd killed the guards who had executed Rose. Something about seeing them around at all irked him. Without her to watch, they didn't have a lot of purpose anyway. It was trimming the fat, really.

"_You could've been an unstoppable force, one for good. What made you turn into __**this**__?"_

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

"_Through all the bruises, and stitches, and broken bones…through all the threats and belittling and insults and vindictive isolation…I know, I __**know**__ who you used to be, at least to the Doctor. And I know that what the Time Lords did to you was completely unfair. And I know that if they hadn't been such arrogant, myopic arseholes, you and the Doctor, you'd be so much…healthier."_

"_Love isn't a disadvantage. It's a reason to fight, a reason to keep going, no matter how hard the struggle gets."_

_"You can still stop this."_

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

He stopped and spun toward the wall, driving a fist into it with a shout of rage.

"_I promise you, Master, you can't come back from this."_

oOoOo

The Doctor stood at the window in the conference room, leaning heavily on the sill and running a thumb over the watch in his hand as he looked out at the surface of the planet. There were plants everywhere now, and even from this height he could see the scorched remains of entire cities that had been razed by the Master's minions. Martha was out there somewhere, being brilliant, doing what needed to be done to save them all, on her own. It was doubtful she even knew that Rose was gone. It wasn't something the Master would likely have advertised even if televisions could still work. He'd accomplished what he set out to by forcing the Doctor and Jack to watch.

It had hurt, more than he could possibly have imagined. He'd felt it, the shot, the excruciating pain she'd felt for a split second before she was gone. Then the feeling of acid being poured into his mind, burning away every trace of her golden presence in his mind. Then nothing. No, nothing was too easy. It was worse than nothing. It was a dark hole, a raw, gaping wound that never healed, never stopped hurting, reminding him constantly of what he'd had and what had been ripped from him. The idea that he'd never hear her laugh again, never see her smile, never hug her or kiss her or tell her he loved her tore at him even as the chasm in his mind ached.

It wasn't like when the Time Lords had all died. No one presence had been so great that it would cause this kind of agony…they'd never have gotten anything done if it had. No, that was traumatic because of the screams, because of the guilt and rage, because of the sheer scope of the loss. It wasn't…less, but it was vastly different. This pain was focused, personal, and far more than he could begin to come to terms with. So he'd retreated into himself, having lost any ability to cope with this new tragedy.

When he'd finally managed to focus on something beyond himself again, Francine Jones had laid into him without mercy, demanding to know how they could trust him to help them if he couldn't save his own wife, if her loss left him completely useless to anyone else. It was Tish who'd come to his defense then, having apparently learned the barest details about the Doctor's ability to feel Rose in his head from Jack. She was the one who'd explained that it wasn't as simple as losing a loved one, or even as simple as watching a loved one executed, traumatic as that was—that his entire mind had rebelled against the reality of the situation. He'd apologized then, to both of them, and swore he'd get them out safely, along with Tish's father, and assured them that Martha was still alive, still setting the stage for the Master's downfall; the Master wouldn't have passed up the opportunity to gloat if she had been killed. And then he'd promised Francine that Rose's death would only make him work harder to take the Master out. He didn't mention the tenuous hopes he had about the ramifications of that, however; they weren't any concern of Francine Jones, and were far too fragile to focus on. So instead he focused on his plans with the Archangel Network, working steadily and slowly to avoid the detection of the Master.

As the months went by, however, the hole Rose had left had been filled with a concentrated dose of rage and hate, the likes of which he hadn't felt since just after the war, overflowing into the rest of him until there was little else left. She wouldn't want that for him, he knew that. And it wasn't over. But as long as that place in his mind was dark, he felt nothing but cold. He couldn't close his eyes without seeing her body fall, and her last thoughts constantly swirled in the back of his mind, the way she'd used his name, his real name, when she'd told him she loved him, before saying she wouldn't have missed it for the world.

He'd had a few flashes of anger at her. She'd promised him forever, after all; she'd peeled off his armor and made him feel less lonely and more whole than he ever had before. And then she'd died, leaving him alone and stripped bare, with nothing but a golden watch and a ring to remind him of a time she hadn't been a ghost, when he'd loved and been loved so fiercely that even the rules of time and space bowed to them.

But every time he raged at her for leaving, he immediately regretted it; it hadn't been her fault or her choice. Once again, she'd been stolen from him by a man with a vendetta older than living memory and absolutely no burden of conscience. He also knew psychology, enough to know that it was supposed to be natural, this anger at her for her own mortality, that she'd succumbed to it before he had. All part of the grieving process. Denial (impossible…the chasm in his mind was a constant reminder), anger (check), bargaining (whom with?), depression (double check), and acceptance…

No. Never acceptance. Everybody knows that everybody dies, but he'd be damned if he once accepted that.

"Oh, it is good to see you up and around, Doctor," the Master's voice called, shattering his thoughts and making his mind burn. He kept his face neutral, however, as he pocketed the watch—his last little vestige of Rose—and turned away from the window, making his way slowly to a chair and dropping down into it wearily. The Master snorted in disgust. "That was short-lived. What happened to your fighting spirit, Doctor?"

The Doctor leveled a cold stare at him, but otherwise didn't respond.

"Oh, come _on_, Doctor," the Master said, dropping into another chair. "What happened to the banter? You know, you say, 'I will stop you!' and then I say 'No, you won't!' No? Nothing? God, you are so boring now," he said with a disgusted snort. "Rose Tyler really had become the most interesting part of you."

"Don't," the Doctor said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry?" the Master asked, leaning forward. "Don't? Don't what? Oh…are we not mentioning the late wife still? I thought maybe since you weren't, you know, catatonic anymore, you might have been getting over it. Maybe even moving on, but there's precious little choose from here, I suppose. There's always Tish…she's such a pretty young thing…"

The Doctor sighed. It was all taunts and jeers, without depth or substance. It was tiring, and it was tedious …but something about hearing her name from the Master's lips made him react reflexively.

"What do you want?" he finally asked, running a gnarled hand over his face.

"Sorry?" the Master asked. "Oh, right. I want you…to admit that it's over. That you've been beaten."

"That's not gonna happen," the Doctor said, shaking his head.

The Master's eyes narrowed. "I have control of everything, of your life and everyone here and on the surface. Martha Jones is on the run, Jack Harkness is in chains, and Rose Tyler is dead. You have nothing left."

"And doesn't that scare the hell out of you?" the Doctor asked with a bitter smile. "But believe me when I say that while there are still people alive, while I'm still alive, I will always be fighting."

"I think even Rose would have understood surrendering against completely insurmountable odds," the Master said, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh…you definitely didn't know her at all," the Doctor said, arching an eyebrow. "You'd be amazed at how good she was with insurmountable odds."

"Not enough to survive," the Master said, and the Doctor's hand clenched as he cursed this old, slow, arthritic body. While his reflexes were still better than a human, they'd be no match for the Master right now. The Master paused, studying him. "How does it feel, Doctor? How does it feel to know that she's dead because of you?"

The Doctor froze, a sudden long buried memory resurfacing. A dream, years ago, of holding Rose's broken body while the TARDIS burned around them, killed by the life she chose to lead with him. Then the cold came over him, the dark fury that had so consumed him since her death, chasing away the guilt as he gave the Master a hard look. The problem wasn't that he loved her, it was that beings like the Master existed to exploit and abuse that. He refused to continue crucifying himself for allowing someone to become so important to him.

"Not that it matters," the Master continued after a moment, standing up and moving to the window. "Four months and it'll be over, whether you're reasonable enough to admit it or not. The rockets will launch, and it will be the beginning of a new era for this provincial little planet you love so much." He paused, surveying his twisted domain for a moment before adding, almost to himself, "Then the life—and death—of Rose Tyler will once again be insignificant."

The Doctor surprised them both by the astonishing speed and force with which he forced his geriatric form on the Master, spinning him around and pressing him against the wall, knobby hands clutching the Master's lapels.

"Rose Tyler will never be insignificant, you arrogant, malignant _bastard_," he hissed.

The Master recovered quickly and pushed the Doctor roughly to the side before hitting him across the jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor.

"She was nothing," the Master said coolly. "A pawn taken out by the king."

He turned on his heel and strode out of the room while the Doctor stared down at the floor, pain and hatred and rage making his eyes burn and ears ring. It was a long moment before he was able to steady his breathing and focus on anything else.

Four months, he told himself as he got to his feet with difficulty. Four months and there might be a chance to get the upper hand, to save them all, to—

He took a deep breath and sat down again, turning his focus once again to the Archangel Network.


	59. The Last of the Time Lords Part 1

_**I'm not...thrilled about this one. I've whined to BetaBabe repeatedly about how agonizing the beginning of the actual episode is, because aside from some internal monologue and motivations, there's not actually a huge chance of changing this part. There's obviously going to be some serious ramifications to recent events later in the episode, but for right now...eh. Whatever. BetaBabe tells me I just have to grit my teeth and get through it so that I can get on to the parts that are more interesting to write, and thus, this chapter. Hopefully it's at least somewhat acceptable. But, of course, as always, thank you thank you thank you for all the follows, the favorites, the reviews and PMs...just all the support, really, despite my latest sadistic streak.**_

* * *

The Doctor groaned when the Scissor Sisters started blaring through the conference room to signal a new day with the Master. This had been happening more and more as they got closer to launch day and the psychotic Time Lord's sense of triumph escalated exponentially. He heaved a sigh and carefully crawled out of the tent the Master had given him in a shaming tease of privacy. He hadn't slept…even with this old body that needed it, sleep rarely came; when it did, it was fraught with nightmares of Martha and Rose, of the Master and his minions and his everlasting drumming.

The Master grabbed him by the tie when he'd gotten to his feet, lip synching to the lyrics of I Can't Decide before shoving him down into the wheelchair and pushing him around gleefully as Lucy and Francine looked on. He finally stopped in front of one of the windows and leaned in next to the Doctor as they looked out.

"It's ready to rise, Doctor," the Master said as a few spheres floated by. "The new Time Lord Empire. It's good, isn't it? Isn't it good? Anything? No? Anything?" He stopped waving a hand in front of the Doctor's face. "Oh, but they broke your hearts, didn't they? Those Toclafane, ever since you worked out what they really are. So many slings and arrows you've suffered lately." He paused again, looking out the window. "They say Martha Jones…has come back home. Now why would she do that?"

"Leave her alone," the Doctor said through gritted teeth, even while a part of him soared for the first time in a year.

"On the day I took control," he said, looking at the Doctor again. "What did you tell her?"

"I have nothing left to say to you," the Doctor said, turning away from him to look out the window.

"High and mighty to the last day," the Master spat, pushing the wheelchair away from himself before rushing up to the bridge. "Come on, people!" he shouted, clapping his hands. "What are we doing? Launch Day in 24 hours!"

The Doctor ignored him, catching Francine's eye and pressing three fingers to his thigh. It might not work, but at least it was action. It would make the Jones' feel like they were doing _something_, and if it didn't work, the Master would sink further into the cushion of his own ego, keeping his attention happily diverted from the Doctor's other plans.

oOoOo

Martha Jones walked along with Tom Milligan, surveying the land around her with a sharp eye honed by months of travelling with varying degrees of danger. It had been a year since she'd seen her family or her friends, a year since she'd seen the place she called home. It wasn't home anymore. The whole Earth was the Master's domain…if the destroyed cities and massive shipyards weren't enough of a reminder, the huge statues and carvings of himself that were strewn across the planet did the job. She glanced up at one now, her lip curling in distaste.

"All over the Earth, those things," she said, nodding up at it. "He's even carved himself into Mount Rushmore."

"Best to keep down," Tom said, gesturing over to edge of the rocky cliff. They both leaned down and peered over at the rocket shipyard working at full capacity. "Here we go. The entire south coast of England…converted into shipyards. They bring in slave labor every morning. Break up cars, houses, anything, just for the metal. Building a fleet out of scrap."

"You should see Russia," she said, shivering a little at the memory. It had been grim, seeing so many people forced to labor for the Master's insanity, his vendetta against, apparently, the universe. "That's Shipyard Number One. All the way from the Black Sea to the Bering Strait. There's 100,000 rockets ready for war."

"War?" Tom asked. "With who?"

"The rest of the universe," she told him, still staring at the shipyard. "I've been out there, Tom. In space. Before all this happened. And there's a thousand different civilizations all around us with no idea of what's happening here. The Master can build weapons big enough to devastate them all."

"You've been in space?" he asked after a moment. _That's_ what he picked up on.

"Problem with that?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No," he said, shaking his head quickly. "No, just uh…wow. Anything else I should know?"

"I've met Shakespeare," she said.

Before Tom was able to reply, they heard the spheres flying up behind them. Martha stiffened, but otherwise didn't move as Tom turned to face them.

"Identify, little man," one of them said.

"I-I've got a license," he said, holding up an ID wallet. "Thomas Milligan, Peripatetic Medical Squad. I'm allowed to travel. I was just checking f—"

"Soon the rockets will fly and everyone will need medicine," the sphere said in an amused voice. "You'll be so busy."

Martha shivered as they laughed and flew off. The spheres were incredibly unsettling, even aside from the fact that they were portable death machines. She turned slowly around to Tom as he gave her a confused look.

"But…they didn't see you," he said slowly.

"How do you think I travelled the world?" she asked, pulling out her TARDIS key. She stood and began walking back to the truck, Tom following after a moment.

"How's a key keep you hidden from those things?" he asked as he caught up with her.

"'Cause the Master set up Archangel," she explained. "That mobile network, 15 satellites around the planet, but really it's transmitting a low-level psychic field. That's how everyone got hypnotized into thinking he was Harold Saxon."

"Saxon," Tom scoffed. "Feels like years ago."

"But they key's tuned in to the same frequency," she continued. "Makes me sort of…not invisible, just unnoticeable."

"But I can see you," he said, brow furrowing.

"That's 'cause you wanted to," she said, flashing a grin up at him.

"Yeah, I suppose I did," he said, smiling back at her a little shyly.

She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is there a Mrs Milligan?"

"No," he said quickly, almost eagerly. "No. Um…what about you?"

"God no," she said with a laugh. "Always a bridesmaid and all that…"

She trailed off as she was suddenly hit with a memory of the Doctor and Rose's wedding. Afterwards, they'd been so ridiculously happy that it sort of…spilled out into everyone around them, like they just weren't big enough to contain it all. But it was only a month before it all went wrong, before the end of the universe and the Master. Then Rose had been hurt so badly, and the Doctor been _so_ angry, angrier than Martha ever seen him. She couldn't help wondering what they were doing now…whether they were at least together…whether they were even still alive.

She shook herself from those dark thoughts. She'd worked too hard for it to all come to naught. She was telling everyone, all over the world, that they had to believe in him…it wouldn't be fair if she gave up on him now.

"Come on," she said, blinking away the tears threatening to fall and making for the truck. "I've got to find this Docherty woman."

"We'll have to wait until the next work shift," he said. "What time is it now?"

"Nearly 3:00," she told him.

oOoOo

"Time for my massage," the Master said, peeling off his jacket and throwing it on the table. With any luck, it would ease the drums and the infernal loop of Rose Tyler. "Who shall I have today? Tanya. Come on, sweetheart. Lucy, have you met Tanya?" he asked, taking the girl's hand and pulling her over to a chair as he sat down. "She's gorgeous. Tanya, when we get to the stars, I'm gonna take you to Katria Nova. Whirlpools of gold. You two should get to know each other," he added to Lucy as the girl began kneading his shoulders. "That might be fun."

Lucy gave a sort weak half smile but offered little else as a reply. She'd broken so quickly when he'd stopped trying to keep up appearances, and was now a mere shell of who she had been. Granted, he'd laid the framework for her undying loyalty in the way of a myriad of subconscious suggestions long ago, but still...he'd expected _some_ sort of fight. But no, nothing. She really was little more than a living doll anymore. Such a pity.

"Condition red!" a voice yelled through the PA, shattering his thoughts.

"What the hell?" He jumped up, darting up the stairs to the bridge, watching as the guards there attempted to isolate and neutralize the threat, likely to be Captain Jack pulling one of his tricks, the rascal. When he turned, however, it was just in time to see the Doctor aim the laser screwdriver at him, steadying himself on the banister.

"Oh, I see," he said softly, putting his hands up.

"I told you," the Doctor said in a raspy voice. "I _will _stop you."

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

The Doctor tried to work the controls on the laser screwdriver without success, and the Master chuckled derisively. He put his arms down and made his way calmly down the steps toward the Doctor before leaning over and taking the screwdriver from the old man's unresisting hands.

"Isomorphic controls," he said, then backhanded the Doctor, sending him sprawling across the floor. "Which means," he continued, "they only work for me. Like this." He aimed a shot just to the left of Francine Jones. "Say sorry!" he shouted as she ducked away and cowered before him.

"Sorry," she said angrily. "Sorry. Sorry!"

"Mum!" Tish cried, running over to her.

"Didn't you learn anything from the blessed Saint Martha, or poor little Rose?" he asked as he sauntered down the steps and allowed Lucy to help him into his jacket. "Siding with the Doctor is a very dangerous thing to do. Take them away."

A guard forced the two Jones women out as the Master turned to the other Time Lord. He hooked his arms under the Doctor's and lifted him into one of the leather chairs around the conference table with a sigh.

"There you go, Gramps," he said, then leaned on the edge of the table beside the Doctor. "Oh, do you know, I remember the days when the Doctor, oh, that famous Doctor, was waging a Time War. Battling Sea Devils and Axons. He sealed the rift at the Medusa Cascade single-handed. Ooh. And look at him now. Stealing screwdrivers. How did he ever come to this? Oh yeah. Me!"

"You've gone too far, Master," the Doctor said in a low voice. "This has to stop."

"No," he said. "Like I told your lovely wife: it's my turn. Revenge! Best served hot. And this time…It's a message for Miss Jones."

oOoOo

Martha knelt by Tom as he cut a hole in the chain link fence, then wriggled through ahead of him before darting through the long grass toward in the direction he indicated. He led her into a dark, bleak room where electronics apparently went to die, occupied only by an older woman banging on a monitor in frustration.

"Professor Docherty?" Tom asked after exchanging a glance with Martha.

"Busy," the woman said, not looking up.

"They, uh, they sent word ahead," he tried. "I'm Tom Milligan. This is Martha Jones."

"She can be the Queen of Sheba for all I care," Docherty said, still focused on fiddling with the monitor. "I'm still busy."

"Televisions don't work anymore," Martha reminded her.

"Oh, God, I miss Countdown," Docherty said with a sigh as she toyed with a pair of wires. "Hasn't been the same since Des took over. Both Deses. What's the plural of Des? Desii? Deseen?" She trailed off, and Martha exchanged a look with Tom before she shook herself and continued. "But we've been told there's gonna be a transmission," she went on, banging the monitor. "From the man himself. There!" she cried as static appeared for a moment before being replaced by a grainy black and white shot of the Master.

"My people," he said benevolently, and a chill went down Martha's spine. "Salutations on this, the eve of war. Lovely woman. But I know there's all sorts of whispers down there. Stories of a child, walking the Earth, giving you hope. But I ask you…how much hope has this man got?" he asked, walking around to stand behind the aged Doctor, who looked up into the camera, his eyes hard. "Say hello, Gandalf. See, he's had a very hard year. It was...what, nine months ago now that your wife met her _tragic_ and untimely demise?"

"Rose," Martha whispered around the sudden lump in her throat, her mind flashing back to the night she'd asked the Doctor what would happen if either of them died. "Oh...no no no no..."

"Except he's not that old," the Master continued as she tried to pull herself together, Tom and Professor Docherty giving her odd looks. "But he's an alien with a much greater lifespan than you stunted, little apes. What if it showed? What if I suspend your capacity to regenerate?" he asked, pulling out the laser screwdriver. "All 900 years of your life, Doctor. What if we could see them? Older and older and older," he intoned as he pointed the screwdriver at the Doctor, making him convulse and scream in agony, falling to the floor. Down you go, Doctor. Down, down, down you go."

Martha swallowed hard but kept her face neutral as she watched her friend suffering, even while her mind buzzed. _C'mon, Doctor_, she thought. _You're stronger than this, I know you are._

"Doctor," the Master said, but the silence only lengthened. He rolled his neck and glanced around, then the camera panned down as he bent over a pile of clothes—the Doctor's suit—lying on the floor, empty. After a moment, a bulbous head made an appearance by the neck, blinking huge eyes as it peered up at the Master. The Master let out a small laugh of disbelief before standing again and facing the camera. "Received and understood, Miss Jones?"

"I'm sorry," Tom said after the transmission cut out.

Martha only smiled a little. "The Doctor's still alive."


	60. The Last of the Time Lords Part 2

**_Ugh. This chapter had me in fits til like 2 am. Whatever, it's over. AND! It's the last uber repetitive chapter. The next one will be more interesting, I promise. It's just this stuff couldn't really be taken out, and it couldn't *all* be summarized nicely, so...yeah. BetaBabe assures me that it's alright, that it needed to happen, that I need to just take a breath and move on, so that's what I'm going to attempt to do. But I'm gonna apologize anyway. Sorry for the redundancy...I'll make it up to you, I promise!_**

* * *

_"__The survivor would feel whatever had killed the other, then pain as the bond disintegrated. And then…it wouldn't just be gone. It would leave a hollow, a space where it had been, leaving the survivor even emptier than they were to begin with."_

Martha winced when the memory hit her like a sledgehammer, hearing the Doctor's voice in her head as she recalled him explaining about the bond. He was still alive; that mattered, that would make all the difference in the world, regardless of how the Master aged him. All the plan needed was for him to be alive. But what kind of life would it be, losing Rose so soon after he'd finally gotten up the courage to be honest with her, and with a mind even emptier than it used to be? Who was going to hold his hand now? And who was going to stop him before he lost himself? She thought of the dark look he'd had in his eyes back at the warehouse, before they'd even made it to the Valiant, and shivered. And _that_ had been when she was still alive.

Even besides that, though...her heart broke when she thought of her friend, beaten and broken down, alone for _so_ long...and now she was gone, and Martha was never going to see her again. She hadn't even had the chance to say good bye. It was so strange, because Rose had been like the Doctor, always so buoyant and vibrant and full of life...the idea of her gone, of no longer existing in the universe, was so...strange. Wrong. Her mind completely rebelled, spinning her into denial even as her heart broke.

After another moment, she shook herself, forcing her attention back to the matter at hand. She had to mourn Rose later. Right now, it was too close to the end to waver. She had to be strong for just a little bit longer...then she'd allow herself to break down, probably for days.

"Obviously the Archangel Network would seem to be the Master's greatest weakness," Professor Docherty was saying when Martha managed to focus on her again. "Fifteen satellites all around Earth, still transmitting. That's why there's so little resistance. It's broadcasting a telepathic signal that keeps people scared."

"We could just take them out," Tom suggested, while Martha concentrated on keeping her face neutral.

"We could," Docherty said. "Fifteen ground-to-air missiles. You got any on you? Besides, any military action, the Toclafane descend."

"They're not called Toclafane," Martha said in an annoyed tone. "That's a name the Master made up."

"Then what are they, then?" she asked.

"That's why I came to find you-know your enemy," Martha said. She felt for the older woman, really. And if she did what Martha thought she'd do, she'd end up helping without even meaning to. But it was still hard to look Docherty in the eye and _know_ that she was setting herself up to be betrayed later, and setting Docherty up to feel the guilt of it just because she was trying to keep her son alive. "I've got this," she went on smoothly, banishing her thoughts and pulling out the data disk. "No one's been able to look at a sphere close up. They can't even be damaged. Except once. The lightning strike in South Africa brought one of them down. Just by chance. I've got the readings on this."

The professor took the disk and loaded it into a computer, performing some impressive and frustrated percussive maintenance before it finally came up on the screen.

"Oh, whoever thought we'd miss Bill Gates," she said irritably.

"So is that why you travelled the world?" Tom asked. "To find a disc?"

"No," Martha said honestly. "Just got lucky."

"I heard stories that you walked the Earth to find a way to build a weapon," Docherty said with a sidelong glance at her, but she kept her face neutral, even as she remembered the Doctor's whispers to her.

_Make it up, _he'd said. _Make something up, something to keep him distracted, something to give him a reason to get you here. Tell your story, Martha...tell our story. Tell them all...and use the countdown._

"There!" Docherty shouted suddenly, pointing at the screen. Martha forced herself back to the present and peered at the screen. "A current of 58.5 kilo amperes transferred charge of 510 mega joules precisely."

"Can you recreate that?"

"I think so," she said. "Easily, yes."

"All right then, Dr Milligan," Martha said. "We're gonna get us a sphere."

oOoOo

The Master sauntered into the conference with a timid Lucy clinging to his arm, smirking at the sight of the shrunken Doctor in his birdcage.

"Tomorrow, they launch," he said. "We're opening up a rift in the Braccatolian space. They won't see us coming. Kinda scary."

"Then stop," the Doctor said.

"Once the empire is established," he said, shaking off Lucy and taking a few steps closer. "And there's a new Gallifrey in the heavens, maybe then…it stops."

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

"The drumming," he said in a low voice, leaning in close to the cage as the Gollum-like Doctor stood with difficulty. "The never-ending drumbeat. Ever since I was a child. I looked into the Vortex. That's when it chose me. The drumming, the call to war. Can't you hear it?" _Badada dum badada dum badada dum_ "Listen, it's there now. Right now. Tell me you can hear it, Doctor. Tell me."

"It's only you," the Doctor said, clutching the bars of his cage.

"Good," the Master said after a beat. The door slid open behind him, and he took a last hard look at the Doctor as a sphere floated in.

"Tomorrow, the war," it said. "Tomorrow we rise. Never to fall."

"You see?" the Master said, gesturing wildly to it. "I'm doing it for them! You should be grateful! After all, you love them. So very, very much."

oOoOo

They'd gone out into the maze like area of storage containers to trap the sphere. Tom had shot a gun into the air to lure one toward them, then ran for it, leading it straight to Docherty's makeshift electric fence, efficiently downing the sphere. It was Docherty, though, who made the point that acquiring it was only half the battle, and they'd retreated back to her workshop so she could find a way to get it open. Martha couldn't help thinking that the Doctor's sonic screwdriver probably would have made quick work of it, but banished the thought as thinking about him at all led down darker paths that she couldn't afford to explore at the moment.

"There's some sort of magnetic clamp," Docherty said, working on the sphere at a table. "Hold on, I'll just trip the—" She stopped abruptly when the top of the sphere divided into quarters and fell open, revealing a distorted human head amidst the wires and machinery. "Oh my God!"

They peered at it for a moment, until its eyes suddenly popped open and lights came on inside the thing, making all three jump back in surprise.

"It's alive," Docherty whispered.

"Martha," it said, and the eyes of Docherty and Tom snapped to her. "Martha Jones."

"It knows you," Tom said slowly.

"Sweet, kind Martha Jones," it continued. "You helped us to fly."

"What do you mean?" she asked, watching it warily.

"You led us to salvation," it said.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"The skies are made of diamonds," it said, and Martha's blood ran cold.

_"Who are you with, Creet?" Martha asked the boy in the silo. "You got family?"_

_"No, miss," he said. "There's just me."_

_"Well, good luck," she said with a smile. "What do you think it's going to be like in Utopia?"_

_The boy gave her a brilliant grin. "My mum used to say the skies are made of diamonds."_

"No," she whispered hoarsely, backing away from the thing. "You can't be him."

"We share each other's memories," the sphere said. "You sent him to Utopia."

"Oh my God!" Martha gasped, a hand going over her mouth as nausea bubbled in her stomach.

"What's it talking about?" Tom asked, looking between her and the sphere. "What's it mean?"

"What are they?" Docherty asked.

"Martha," Tom said urgently. "Martha, tell us. What are they?"

"They're us," she said shakily. "They're humans. The human race from the future."

oOoOo

"I took Lucy to Utopia. A Time Lord and his human companion," the Master said with a sneer from where he sat at the conference table. "I took her to see the stars. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

"Trillions of years into the future," Lucy said in a hollow voice. "To the end of the universe."

"Tell him what you saw," the Master urged his obedient little doll.

"Dying," she said, her face and voice impassive. "Everything dying. The whole of creation was falling apart. And I thought…there's no point. No point to anything. Not ever."

"And it's all your fault," the Master added. "You should have seen it, Doctor. Furnaces, burning. The last of humanity screaming at the dark."

"There was no solution, no diamonds," the sphere said. "Just the dark and the cold."

"All that human invention that had sustained them across the eons," the Master said. "It all turned inwards. They cannibalized themselves."

"We made ourselves so pretty," the sphere said with a giggle.

"Regressing into children," the Master said. "But it didn't work. The universe was collapsing around them."

"But then the Master came with his wonderful time machine to bring us back home," the sphere chimed in.

"My masterpiece, Doctor," he said. "A living TARDIS, strong enough to hold the paradox in place, allowing the past and the future to collide in infinite majesty."

"But you're changing history," the Doctor said with a hint of desperation. "Not just Earth, the entire universe."

"I'm a Time Lord," the Master said. "I have that right."

"_That's exactly what you thought was wrong with the Time Lords. How does that make you better? What, exactly, were you fighting for?"_

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

"But even then," the Doctor said as the Master winced and twitched, trying to banish the ghost and the drums in one movement. "Why come all this way just to destroy?"

"We've come backwards in time to build a brand new empire lasting 100 trillion years," the sphere answered.

"With me as their master," the Master said with a smile. "Time Lord and humans combined. Haven't you always dreamt of that, Doctor?" He stood, walking closer to the Doctor again. "Human race. Greatest monster of them all. Night, then."

oOoOo

Martha explained to Tom and Professor Docherty all about Utopia and the paradox machine, about what the Toclafane _really_ were and where they came from. Tom had shot it when it said that the reason they were killing so many of their own kind was simply because it was fun, and they'd all moved to Docherty's living area to try to make some sense of it.

"I think it's time we had the truth, Miss Jones," Docherty said after a while. "The legend says you've travelled the world to find a way of killing the Master. Tell us, is it true?"

Martha glanced at her and hesitated. She didn't want to force added guilt onto the woman by feeding her a lie presented as valuable information...but she didn't know how else to ensure the Master would find her without being too obvious and ruining everything. She finally stood, talking as she unpacked the case containing her "secret". She gave them the long-rehearsed explanation of the Master and the Doctor, how they'd been coming to earth for years, and had been watched. That much, at least, was mostly true. Then she explained about regeneration, and how this gun, the gun in four parts, could kill a Time Lord permanently, how she just needed the last piece here in London.

The seed sown, she made plans with Tom to get as far as the slave quarters in Bexley tonight, despite Docherty offering them a place to bunk for the night.

"Good luck," Docherty said as they headed for the door.

"Thanks," Martha said. On impulse, she leaned over and kissed Docherty on the cheek.

"Martha, could you do it?" she asked. "Could you actually kill him?"

"Got no choice," she said quickly. With her family and friends hostage...if anything happened to any of them...yes, she could kill him. But the Doctor wouldn't like it. And it wasn't the point.

"You might be many things," Docherty said. "But you don't look like a killer to me."

oOoOo

They made their way to Bexley, and Martha followed Tom as he crept along a street of rowhouses, finally stopping at one and knocking softly.

"Let me in," he said quietly into the door. "It's Milligan."

The door opened, and they rushed in, Tom immediately being asked if he'd been able to bring food while Martha looked around, appalled.

"It's cheaper than building barracks," Tom said, catching her look. "Pack them in, 100 in each house, ferry them off to the shipyards every morning."

"Are you Martha Jones?" a boy asked.

"Yeah, that's me," she said, turning around to look at him.

"Can you do it?" he asked. "Can you kill him? They said you can kill the Master, can you? Tell us you can do it. Please tell us you can do it."

"Who is the Master?" a woman got in before everyone starting talking at once and Martha lost track. They were all so scared, so desperate, grasping at any shred of hope they could possibly find.

"Come on, just leave her alone," Tom cut into the din after a moment. "She's exhausted."

"No, it's all right," Martha said, looking around. "They want me to talk...and I will."

They made room for her on the staircase, and she sat down, surrounded on all sides by the enslaved people.

"I travelled across the world. From the ruins of New York, to the fusion mills of China, right across the radiation pits of Europe. And everywhere I went, I saw people just like you, living as slaves. But if Martha Jones became a legend, then that's wrong because my name isn't important. There's someone else. The man who sent me out there. The man who told me to walk the Earth. His name is the Doctor. He has saved your lives so many times, and you never even knew he was there. He never stops. He never stays. He never asks to be thanked. But I've seen him. I know him. I love him-he's one of the best friends I've ever had. And I know what he can do." She paused, glancing around at them. "I know you're all scared, and feel like the situation is hopeless. Most of you have lost people you loved because of the Master. But the Doctor...he'll never stop fighting. The Master has hurt him, weakened him...even killed his wife just because of who she was...all in an attempt to break him. But that's the thing about him...he can lose...everything...and he'll still keep fighting for everyone else, just because he's there, because he can...because, when everything goes to hell, he's the only one with the power to stand up and say no, for everyone that's been lost, and everyone that lost them. The Master will try to crush you...but the Doctor will never stop trying to save you."

"It's him!" a voice cried, and the woman who'd greeted Martha and Tom rushed forward, shattering the moment. "It's him! Oh my God, it's him! It's the Master! He's here!"

"But he never comes to Earth!" the boy who'd originally asked about the Master said as Martha stood. "He never walks upon the ground!"

"Hide her!" the woman said urgently.

"Use this!" Tom said, throwing a blanket to the group, who immediately wrapped it around Martha and pulled her down so she was hidden among them.

"He walks among us," she heard the boy mutter after a moment. "Our lord and master."

"Martha!" she heard the Master calling from the street. "Martha Jo-hones. I can see you! Out you come, little girl. Come and meet your Master. Anybody? Nobody? No? Nothing? Positions! I'll give the order unless you surrender. Ask yourself—what would the Doctor do?"

Martha hesitated, trembling beneath the blanket. This was the moment of truth...and she couldn't let these people, who had so much faith in her-and now the Doctor-die for her. She took a shuddering breath, then steeled herself, pulling off the TARDIS key and shaking off the blanket. Everyone in the house turned to look at her, and she gave them a little smile, pushing Tom's gun aside as she stepped toward the door. She took another deep breath, then pushed it open, stepping out into the night to face off against the Master.

"Oh, yes!" he cried when he caught sight of her, clapping. "Oh, very well done! Good girl! He trained you well. Bag. Give me the bag," he said tersely, and she took a step closer. "No, stay there. Just throw it."

She gave him a dark look, but complied, taking off her pack and throwing it on the ground at his feet. He immediately took out his laser screwdriver and blasted the back, destroying its contents.

"And now, good companion," he said, holding the screwdriver out towards her. Your work is done."

"No!" Tom shouted, running from the house with his gun raised. Without hesitation, the Master turned his aim, hitting Tom full in the chest. He was probably dead before he even hit the ground. Martha glared at the Master, holding back the bile in her throat as he chuckled.

"But you…when you die, the Doctor should be witness, hm?" he said. "It made for such an interesting bit of theater when he watched Rose be executed. It's only fair we go for an encore performance." He paused, inhaling deeply. "Almost dawn, Martha. And planet Earth marches to war."


	61. The Last of the Time Lords Part 3

_**Can I just say, there were parts of this chapter that were *immensely* satisfying to write. This has been a long time coming for the Master. That said...please don't kill me. It's not over yet...sorry for dragging it out, but it was sort of necessary. Kay. Oh, and thanks as always for the reviews...all of you are rock stars!**_

* * *

The Master stood calmly on the bridge as Martha Jones was escorted none too gently into the conference room. He turned to watch her take in her family under guard, the freak that was Captain Jack, and her precious Doctor in all his caged glory. He saw her swallow hard as she came to a stop before the stairs, looking up at him warily.

"Your teleport device…in case you thought I'd forgotten," he said, cold in his triumph. Martha took Jack's wrist strap out of her pocket and tossed it to him. "And now," he said. "Kneel."

The Master stared down at the faithful little companion as she knelt before him, the picture of subjugation. Whatever the Doctor had _thought_ this inferior little girl would accomplish, it was well over. After so many times he'd been so sure that he'd won, only to have the Doctor swoop in at the last moment and smash everything to bits, it felt good to have the upper hand in the end. Let that be the lesson to the Doctor, the man who was so _legendary_, but still depended on these ridiculous life forms for help. All he'd accomplished was providing the Master with more to destroy him with.

"Down below, the fleet is ready to launch," he said, pulling out his laser screwdriver and pointing it at Saint Martha. "Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe. Are we ready?" he asked into a comm. link.

"The fleet awaits your signal," a voice called back. "Rejoice!"

"Three minutes to align the black hole converters. Counting down!" the Master said gleefully, nodding at a clock on the wall as it began to count down the seconds. "I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?"

"We will fly and blaze and slice!" the spheres chanted together. "We will fly and blaze and slice!"

"At zero, to mark this day, the child, Martha Jones, will die," the Master said dramatically. "Any last words? No?" It was almost anticlimactic, the death of Martha Jones. Rose Tyler wouldn't leave his head, haunting his thoughts to the rhythm of the drums. This one was…just rubbish. He glanced over at the Doctor. "Such a disappointment, this one. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the time vortex. This one's useless!"

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

"Bow your head," he ordered. "And so it falls to me, the Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords! From this day forward—" He stopped when Martha started chuckling from where she knelt on the floor. "What? What's so funny?"

"A gun?" she asked, looking up at him.

"What about it?" he asked.

"A gun in four parts?" she asked, and he stared at her in confusion.

"Yes, and I destroyed it," he reminded her.

"A gun in four parts scattered across the world?" she asked. "I mean, come on," she went on, rolling her eyes, and the Master felt a slight twinge of apprehension. "Did you really believe that?"

"What do you mean?" he asked carefully.

"As if I would ask her to kill," the Doctor scoffed. Even in a _cage_, he still claimed superiority. What the Master wouldn't give at that moment to pull him out of there and fling him against a wall, crushing all his bones at once and relieving him of the pressure to regenerate.

_Badada dum badada dum badada dum_

_"He's aware that you're a psychopath and delusional and bent on the destruction of him and everyone else, and that he'll always have to put you down when you pick a fight, because he's the only one who can. But he still loves you…for who you were, and for who you could have been, and for who you still could be if you would just __**stop**__."_

No! There was nothing any of them could do, not any more. Not the Doctor in his cage, or the girl kneeling before him, and much less the ghost who would _not shut up. _There was nothing anyone could do about the infernal call to war.

He took a breath, calming himself before he spoke. "It doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her."

"But I knew what Professor Docherty would do," Martha said. "The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here. At the right time."

"Oh, but you're still gonna die," he assured her.

"Don't you wanna know what I was doing?" she asked. "Travelling the world?"

"Tell me," he said, with a shrug as he sat down on the steps. He had a couple of minutes still to kill.

"I told a story," she said. "That's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went, I found the people, and I told them my story. I told them about the Doctor, about his fight and his reasons. And I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor."

"Faith and hope?" he asked mockingly. "Is that all?"

"No," she said, standing. "'Cause I gave them an instruction. Just as the Doctor said. I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time—"

"Nothing will happen!" he interrupted as he stood, towering over her once more. "Is that your weapon? _Prayer_?"

"Right across the world," Martha Jones said with a smile. "One word, just one thought, at one moment…but with fifteen satellites!"

"What?" he demanded, his blood running cold.

"The Archangel Network," chimed in the freak.

"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together," Martha said, triumphant. "With all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word…is Doctor."

oOoOo

Martha saw it in his face, the moment the Master realized that the Doctor had outmaneuvered him once again, and grinned. The countdown ended, and she saw the light begin to grow around the Doctor's cage, heard the people being monitored on earth _shouting_ his name.

"Stop it," the Master said. "No, no, no, no, you don't!"

She glanced around to see her family close their eyes and murmur his name, followed by Jack, and even Lucy up on the bridge.

"Doctor," she whispered.

"Stop this right now!" the Master yelled over the whispers in the room and the shouts from the surface. "Stop it!"

Martha opened her eyes to see the Doctor free of his cage, looking like the old man he'd been when she last saw him, still surrounded by the energy field.

"I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices," he said.

"I order you to stop!" the Master shouted.

"The one thing you can't do," the Doctor continued, changing before their eyes into the young man Martha knew so well. "Stop them thinking."

Martha laughed as the Doctor began to levitate, the Master staring at him in complete shock.

"Tell me the human race is degenerate now," he went on. "When they can do this."

"No!" the Master shouted, firing his laser screwdriver at the Doctor as Martha ran to her family. She turned just in time to see the second shot deflected by the energy field around him.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said, sounding anything but. "I'm so sorry."

"Then I'll kill them!" the Master shouted, aiming the laser at Martha and her family, but the Doctor reached out a hand and the screwdriver flew out of the Master's grasp across the room. "You can't do this!" the Master shouted, visibly panicking now as he backed away from the Doctor down the stairs. "You can't do—It's not fair!"

"_Fair? _ Where was _fair_ when you decimated the population before enslaving them?" the Doctor demanded as he drifted towards the Master, backing him up against a wall. "Where was it when Martha had to leave her family with you to walk the Earth alone? Where was it when you killed Rose?"

"No!" the Master shouted, cowering against the wall as the Doctor's trainers touched down on the ground, the light around him disappearing. The Doctor looked down at him for a moment, his body tense and his face hard with fury, before making a disgusted sound.

"_The Master_," he scoffed. "Take away your strength in numbers and other skewed advantages, and you're just another fool with more ego than sense. An ant who thinks he's a giant."

The Master whimpered for a moment at the Doctor's feet, then raised his head, his eyes slightly crazed.

"My children!" he cried.

"Captain!" the Doctor shouted, whipping around to Jack. "The paradox machine!"

Jack didn't even hesitate before taking command of the guards. "You men! With me!"

"Doctor!" Martha shouted as the Master pulled the vortex manipulator out of his jacket pocket, and the Doctor turned again.

"No!" he shouted, reaching forward just as the Master activated the teleporter. Martha stared, slack jawed, as both Time Lords disappeared.

oOoOo

The Doctor stood quickly and glanced around at the rocky landscape the Master had teleported them to, his rage reaching critical levels.

"Now it ends, Doctor," the Master shouted, arms spread wide. "Now it ends."

With that, the Doctor's fragile control snapped completely. He stepped forward quickly and reached for the Master, spinning the other Time Lord around before his fist connected hard with the man's jaw. The Doctor got another hit in higher on the Master's face before he retaliated, punching the Doctor in the eye, opening a gash over his eyebrow and sending him careening back.

"We've got control of the Valiant!" the Doctor shouted as he wiped blood out of his vision and the Master darted back a few meters. "You can't launch!"

"Oh, but I've got this," the Master called to him, taking off his wristwatch and holding it aloft. "Black hole converter inside every ship. If I can't have this world, Doctor, then neither can you. We shall stand upon this Earth, together, as it burns!"

"So do it," he spat, and felt the slightest bit of gratification when the Master stopped and stared at him blankly. "You can't, can you? Weapon after weapon after weapon. All you do is talk and talk and talk. But it's cheap, and empty, and you know it as well as I do. Explode those ships, you kill yourself. That's the one thing you can never do. Give that to me," he said, stepping closer to him and holding out his hand. The Master glanced between him and the device for an instant before giving the Doctor a dark look and slapping it in his hand. The Doctor slipped it in his pocket, then hit the Master again hard, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"_That_ was for Rose, you supercilious little worm," he growled, kneeling down and reaching for the vortex manipulator as the Master rolled over onto his back.

"Such violence," the Master said, then turned his head to spit blood out of his mouth before looking back up at the Doctor. "Didn't think you had it in you. Maybe you and I aren't so different after all."

"Oh, we're different," the Doctor said, struggling with him for the vortex manipulator as the ground started shaking beneath them. "You fight because you have nothing to you but madness and an insatiable lust for power. I fight...because I have something worth fighting for."

He held the Master's hand tight over the vortex manipulator as he activated it again, sending them back to the Valiant.

oOoOo

Martha had watched with growing fear as the six billion spheres converged on the Valiant, then simply stared in shock as they disappeared. This was short-lived as well, however; just as the spheres blinked out of existence, the ship rocked, spilling everyone to the floor and throwing Martha back down the stairs-straight into the arms of the Doctor, who smiled down at her despite the darkening shiner and nasty cut over his eye.

"Everyone down!" he shouted, pulling her to the ground. "Time is reversing!"

She clung to him as wind swept violently through the room and the ship continued to shake, looking up at him sharply when he laughed, a wide grin splitting his face. She was happy to see that he could still see the good in saving the world, even if Rose couldn't be there to share in the triumph. He scrambled to his feet when the room calmed again, sprinting up to the bridge to check various readings and controls.

"The paradox is broken," he said. "We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past 8:00 in the morning." He reached over and turned on the comm link.

"This is UNIT Central," a voice said. "What's happened up there? We just saw the President assassinated!"

"You see?" he said. "Just after the President was killed, but just before the spheres arrived. Everything back to normal. Planet Earth restored. None of it happened. The rockets, the terror. It never was."

"What about the spheres?" Martha asked.

"Trapped at the end of the universe," he replied.

"But I remember it," Francine said, confused.

"We're at the eye of the storm," he explained. "The only ones who'll ever know." He glanced over and appeared to notice Martha's dad for the first time. "Oh, hello! You must be Mr Jones! We haven't actually met."

His eyes snapped to the door and Martha turned to see the Master make a break for it, only to be stopped at the door by Jack as he returned.

"Whoa, big fella!" Jack said as he grabbed hold of him and spun him back around. Martha noticed with interest that he looked even worse than the Doctor, with bruises forming along his jaw and over his eye, as well as a swollen lip. "You don't want to miss the party. Cuffs," he said to the guard, cuffing the Master's hands behind his back quickly before looking up at the Doctor standing at the top of the stairs. "So, what do we do with this one?"

"We kill him," Clive said, standing next to the Doctor.

"We execute him," Tish said, stepping forward on the Doctor's other side.

The Doctor didn't respond. He was studying the Master with an unreadable expression, but Martha felt a jolt of apprehension. Just being able to smile didn't mean he wasn't still dangerous, and she saw the same darkness that had been in his eyes after the Family as he stared the Master down.

"I'm with them," Francine said suddenly, and everyone turned to her as she aimed a gun at the Master. "'Cause all those…things, they still happened because of him. I saw them."

"Go on!" the Master taunted. "Do it!"

The Doctor jumped down from the stairs to stand next to Francine. "Francine, you're better than him," he said softly, reaching forward and taking the gun from her hands as she started shaking. He wrapped an arm around her briefly as she started to cry before handing her off to Martha.

"You still haven't answered the question," the Master said. "What happens to me?"

The Doctor moved swiftly, his actions a blur as he brought the gun up himself, aiming it at the Master with a dangerous glint in his eye. Martha and Jack exchanged a startled and worried glance, and even the Master looked a little stunned.

"She's better than you," he said in a steely voice. "But I'm not. It's like you said, maybe we're not so different after all."

"You wouldn't," the Master said.

"Why not?" the Doctor asked, the hand holding the gun steady. "I have forgiven you so many times, given you so many chances, offered so many opportunities for you to just _stop_, but you never do. Every time I show you mercy based on some arbitrary notion of what you could have been, based on our history, I get nothing but grief. After everything we've been through, what have I got to show for being kind? A population nearly extinct by your _phenomenal_ disregard for history or timelines, friends who've been hunted, persecuted and tortured, and a wife who died for the crime of being important to me. All because I always forgive you, always give you another chance to redeem yourself, and you always abuse it. So tell me, Master...why should I give you any more chances to ruin my life or anyone else's?"

The Master swallowed hard. "Rose…did she—"

"Oh, no," the Doctor said quickly. "You don't get to talk about her. You don't even get to mention her name. Why should I spare you?"

"Because you're the Doctor," the Master said after a moment, a touch of genuine fear showing through disbelief that this conversation was even happening. "And we're the last ones left. The last of the Time Lords."

"Didn't stop you," the Doctor reminded him with an arched brow. "But that's just it, isn't it? Because it would be you. In all the universe, if one could survive, it would be you, because the universe enjoys laughing at our discomfort. I don't want to be responsible for the destruction of my species again. And there's still that little piece that remembers you before you were...this." He watched the Master for a moment, then sighed, dropping his arm. Martha let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding as he set the gun down on the floor, sending it spinning away from him before he backed up a few paces and sat down on the steps, his face resting in one hand as he studied the Master. He didn't look quite as angry anymore...at that moment, he simply looked exhausted.

"Thing is," he continued after a moment, "I dunno whether this was all because you really are that mad, or if you're just that maligned of an individual, and I really don't care anymore. Whatever the reason, you're a cancer. You're toxic. The only practical way to keep you alive is to keep you in the TARDIS where I can watch you."

"So you're just going to...keep me?" the Master asked.

"No," the Doctor said. "That's the problem. I don't want you anywhere near me or—or anyone else I care about. I don't want to be responsible for you, or the terror you might inflict if you managed to escape. I don't want to live in a universe where I'm looking over my shoulder for you constantly, or a home where I'm keeping watch over you. So what do you think I should do with you, Master? What do you think you deserve after all this?"

The Master stared at him for a moment, then opened his mouth to respond. Before any words formed, however, shot rang out, and the Master staggered back. Everyone turned to see Lucy holding the gun, a vacant expression on her face. The Doctor stood quickly and ran to the Master, catching him as he fell, while Jack moved to Lucy, urging the girl to relinquish the gun.

"Always the women," the Master said, lying in the Doctor's arms as silence fell once more.

"I didn't see her," the Doctor said.

"Dying in your arms," the Master scoffed. "Happy now?"

"No," the Doctor said. "But it's just a bullet. You can still regenerate."

"And then what?" the Master asked. "End up in prison somewhere? Stormcage? I'd escape, you know I would. And then we'd fight again until one of us ended the other."

"It doesn't have to be like that," the Doctor said.

"But it always will be," the Master said. "Because we'll always hate each other for what we're not."

"It can't end like this," the Doctor said, his voice thick. "You and me, all the things we've done. Axons? Remember the Axons? And the Daleks? We're the only two left in the whole universe."

"How about that?" the Master asked, looking up at the Doctor's agonized expression. "I win."

"No," the Doctor said sadly. "We both lose."

The Master winced and moaned a little, then looked back up at the Doctor. "Will it stop, Doctor? The drumming. Will it stop?" The Doctor shook his head, looking down at him, obviously unsure what to say about the sound of madness in the Master's head. "What about her? Won't she ever be silent?"

"Who?" the Doctor asked, confused.

The Master winced again, then whispered something quickly to the Doctor before taking a last sharp breath and going still. The Doctor remained kneeling for a moment, then lowered the Master's body to the floor and stood slowly. When he turned to them, his eyes were red with unshed tears, but his face was a picture of confusion.

"Doctor," Jack said. "Is he…?"

The Doctor sucked in a breath and nodded. "He's gone."

Everyone was quiet for another moment, then Tish came down the stairs, pulling something out of her pocket.

"These are yours," Tish said, approaching the Doctor. "They…they seemed important. I didn't want _him_ to have them."

He stared at the watch and ring she handed him for a moment, then something in him shifted, and he suddenly seemed as though he'd received an electric shock.

"Oh!" he cried, slipping the ring on and running up to the bridge. "Really...not bad, as far as last words go; then again, he always was pretty good at that. Oh, you…bastard. Had to…Jack, do me a favor, get him to the TARDIS," he said, nodding at the Master's body. "Just put him in the infirmary for now. I'll deal with him later. Martha, get your family on one of the UNIT planes…get them out of this place, on their way back home…then meet us there."

"But what're you gonna do?" Martha asked, already ushering her family out.

"Arranging for a package to be picked up," he said vaguely before turning to the comms and speaking quickly in a low voice to someone on the other end. Martha took a last look at him, but he turned and caught her, only to wave her away quickly before turning again. She shook her head and followed her family out of the conference room toward one of the planes. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him avoid larger issues by hopping around and focusing on anything but what hurt. Whatever had him hyper now could only distract him for so long, though. She wasn't sure what was going to happen when he was actually forced to face the fact that the fight was over, and he'd never see Rose again.


	62. Questions and Answers

_**Hey, all...sorry for not posting yesterday and causing a slight panic that blew up my inbox. Real life sort of got in the way this week, and since I'm not actually ahead anymore, that caused a problem. Also, I ended up being completely sidetracked by the TARDIS Date Core while researching a completely innocuous detail Friday night. So yeah. Anyhow, here's this. Enjoy.**_

* * *

Martha got her family loaded onto one of the UNIT planes, then went back down to the hold to find the TARDIS. Her mum hadn't been happy about her leaving them again, but after everything that had happened, she really needed to talk to the Doctor. So she'd assured Francine that she wasn't going to flit off into time and space again just yet, and went off to find the Time Lord and the immortal flirt.

Both men were working steadily on the TARDIS when she slipped inside, and she was surprised by how much better it already looked. The cage around the console was gone, and the sickly red glow was fading as they disassembled the paradox machine and repaired the console.

"God, you two work fast," she commented as she walked up the ramp.

"Highly motivated," the Doctor said distractedly from his place in the grating, brainy specs firmly in place, then looked up at her and grinned. "Martha Jones…do you know how brilliant you are?"

He jumped up and darted over to her, pulling her into a bear hug that lifted her feet off the floor, then shocking her completely as he dropped a quick kiss on her cheek as he released her.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "For everything."

"You're…you're welcome," she said, glancing at Jack as the Doctor spun away again to his task. The captain, who was looking dapper again after having a moment to clean up, grinned at her as he screwed a part into the console, then looked up as the red glow faded completely and the ship hummed happily.

"Oh, brilliant," the Doctor said. "Molto bene. Couple more things, and then we'll at least be able to move to the surface and possibly the Vortex. I'll fix the rest later."

Martha watched him carefully as he jumped up again and closed the grating before dancing around the console, he and Jack tossing parts to each other to install into various areas of the controls. After a few minutes, however, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Doctor, can you just…stop for a second?" she asked.

"Why would I wanna do that?" he asked, glancing at her. "I dunno about you, but I'd like to get off this ship as soon as possible."

"Yeah, no, that's fine," she said. "But…I mean…Doctor, are you alright?"

"Fine," he said, his eyes trained on what he was doing.

"But back there, with the Master—"

"Don't, Martha," he said quietly. "Not…that. He's dead, it's over. I don't wanna talk about it, especially not right now."

"Okay, but what about Rose?" she asked bluntly, leaving him no room for evasion.

He looked up at her again, arching an eyebrow, then exchanged a glance with Jack. He drew in a breath, but still didn't say anything.

"Look, I know it's hard," Martha said after a moment.

"Martha," Jack said in a warning voice. "Now really isn't the time."

"God, you're no better," Martha said. "You snogged her senseless when you found out she was alive back at the end of the universe, and now that she's dead, you're both acting like nothing happened. Well, I'm sorry, but I can't do that," she added, angry tears coming to her eyes. "She was my friend, and now she's gone, and you two emotional cripples are making that really hard to deal with."

The Doctor gave her an angry look, then took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before responding. "She's not dead, Martha," he said quietly.

Martha froze, her jaw dropping. "It…it was a trick?"

"No, not a trick," the Doctor said, turning back to the console. "She did die. She just…got better."

"What…how do you get better from _death_?" Martha demanded.

"She was never on the Valiant," Jack told her. "The Master might have brought her on board eventually, but the Doctor, in all his manipulative mastery, begged the Master to let her on…which, of course, made the Master leave her exactly where she was."

"Which was, incidentally, in a prison on the surface," the Doctor added. "Which means that anything that happened to her after the paradox began has been undone, including…that."

"But that…that's fantastic!" Martha cried, darting over to him and throwing her arms around him, and he chuckled as he gave her a brief hug.

"Is that what the Master was going to ask, do you think?" Jack asked.

"Probably," the Doctor said as he took a step back from Martha. "She was definitely on his mind. The last thing he said was coordinates for her location."

"You're joking," Martha said, stunned.

"Nope," he said, popping the p.

"Package pickup," Martha murmured, and he grinned at her.

"I passed off the coordinates to UNIT—they've probably already picked her up," he said. "I didn't want her to stay there any longer than absolutely necessary, and it was going to take a little while to get the TARDIS into any shape to pick her up."

"What do you mean probably?" Jack asked. "Wouldn't she have told you? And couldn't you figure out where she was without the Master's help?"

"Not right now," the Doctor said with irritation. "Mind meld's broken. It's there, but it's weak…sort of…confused? Conflicting realities. So I can feel her, but I can't talk to her, or even get as strong of a trace on her location. And, really, Jack, it was never like the information would just be downloaded from her," he added with an eye roll. "All I could tell was where she was in relation to me."

"Sorry," Jack said snarkily. "But that's how you know the coordinates are for her? Match the…direction, or whatever, at least from what you remember."

"Yeah," the Doctor said, flicking few switches and checking the monitor. "Right. Should be good to go. No planet hopping yet, I'm afraid, but I should be able to get us down to the surface and then into the Vortex."

"So we can go pick up Rose?" Martha asked.

"Oh yes," he said, grinning widely and pulling a lever, and Martha matched his grin as the familiar groan of the motors reverberated around them.

oOoOo

That morning, Rose had watched the news coverage of the Toclafane event on the TV in her cell while pacing in the small space provided and chewing on a nail. The Doctor hadn't shared his plan, just telling her to trust him. Which she did, despite whatever she'd felt over the past year and a half…but trusting him didn't mean she wouldn't worry about him. Her concern over the situation spiked when a few of the spheres did appear only to assassinate the U.S. President. The Master had jumped up to make a speech, talking about how likeable he was and other nonsense, and her breath hitched when she saw the Doctor rush him and get grabbed by the guards. Then several things happened at once.

The screen suddenly went black, and Rose got an intense sense of vertigo an instant before she was driven to her knees by a sudden severe pain in her head that felt like an ice pick through the skull. Before she even had a chance to scream, it was over…but the Doctor's presence in her mind was…wrong. It was there, but it was barely a glimmer compared to what it had been even when he was still at the end of the universe. The fact that it was still there at all should mean that he was still alive, but she wasn't sure what the pain _or_ the weakness meant, so she was still terrified for him and furious that something was wrong with him and she couldn't do _anything_ but beat ineffectually at the walls around her.

Without even a newscast to distract her, she paced more, stopping a couple of times to hit the door and verbally abuse anyone who might be in the vicinity. This only lasted another twenty minutes or so before she heard the tell-tale sign of the keypad outside her cell, and she stepped back and stared at the door apprehensively. When the guard stepped back to reveal the familiar—if far older—form of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewert, she nearly broke down completely in relief. She barely kept herself from sobbing, but nothing could stop her from throwing her arms around the man, who hugged her back instantly.

"Well, I suppose that answers my first question," he said with a chuckle. "I think it's safe to assume we've met. What do you say we get you out of here, Ms Tyler?"

"Best idea I've heard in a long time," she said honestly, her voice catching slightly.

"Sir, she's a prisoner," the guard objected.

"And you're an idiot," the Brig said, making Rose smirk slightly. "Regardless, UNIT will take it from here. Good day. Oh…and expect a full investigation into this facility shortly. I suspect it's been a long time coming."

He touched Rose's back lightly to escort her out of the building, and she quickly found herself loaded into a UNIT jeep along with the Brigadier. He explained that they'd gotten a radio call from the Doctor on the Valiant requesting her release, complete with coordinates of her location, and the assurance that he would be with them shortly.

"As soon as I heard who it was, I put together a team myself," he finished. "So, where are we in your timeline? Are you and the Doctor…?"

"Yes," she said. "Hold on, have you met us when we weren't married?"

"No," he admitted. "But with the way the Doctor is about the timelines, I've always thought it might be a possibility. Good that today is not that day. So, Harold Saxon…who was he? He said the Master, but…he couldn't be."

"Yeah, he could," Rose said bitterly. "Psychotic Time Lord extraordinaire. And you people elected him…but apparently that's not your fault. He tricked you all into thinking he had a decent bone in his body, even while he—" She stopped short, taking a deep breath. "Anyway, yeah, it's him. But I dunno what's happened now. The Doctor's done something, but…I can't figure out what."

The Brigadier nodded, then studied her for a moment. It had probably been twenty years since he'd last seen Rose Tyler and her version of the Doctor, though he had no way of telling how long it had been for them. But the woman next to him was a stark contrast from who he's always known Rose to be. Physically, she looked like hell…but the bitterness in her voice was new as well. She was missing the humor and bright cheer that he had grown accustomed to, and it worried him. Given her physical state, it was impossible to gauge where she was in her timeline beyond already married to the Doctor, but it was almost impossible to imagine this woman turning back into the warm, caring woman he knew…or what could have taken all that away from her in the first place. Unfortunately, it was difficult to phrase a question about that without violating the rules she herself had imposed.

"How long were you there?" he asked finally.

"The cell?" she asked, and he nodded. "Um…fourteen months. It was the TARDIS before that. A year and a half of the Master's hospitality altogether."

"Good lord," the Brigadier murmured, his eyes once again taking in the bruises on her face and the scars on her arms and cheek. He sat up straighter when she shivered, pulling off his coat and putting it around her shoulders. "Your Doctor is not going to be happy," he commented.

"Count on it," she agreed. "But right now, all I care about it seeing him alive and well again."

"How did you even end up being separated for so long?" he asked, confused. The pinstriped Doctor rarely let Rose out of his sight for long…granted, he thought that was probably due in part to the fact that his other selves were perpetually flirting with her. Still…this was extreme.

"Long story," Rose replied as the jeep pulled up to UNIT HQ. "Stolen TARDIS, bumps in time that shouldn't have been possible, the usual chaos." He nodded as they exited the Jeep, and moved to escort her into the building, but hesitated.

"Would you prefer to remain out here?" he asked. "Given that you've been inside for quite some time…I'd be happy to keep you company?"

"That would be wonderful," she said gratefully. To be honest, she'd been looking at the building in near panic. That could be a problem…but one to worry about later. She thought longingly of the room she shared with the Doctor on the TARDIS, the one that had a ceiling showing an open sky of burnt orange that she'd only see in simulation.

Unfortunately, staying outside presented its own challenges. She glanced around, simultaneously reveling and recoiling from the assault on her senses that being outside in London presented to her. She stepped a little nearer to the Brigadier, and was pleasantly surprised when he put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"You know, Brigadier," she said, glancing up at him, "you seem awfully…chummy for someone who's only met me once…what, forty years ago for you?"

"Funny that," he said, his face neutral.

"Yeah…funny…" she said slowly.

"Have you met any of the Doctor's other incarnations?" he asked suddenly. "Other than 1969?"

"No," she said. "Well, I mean, I knew his last one…that's when I started travelling with him. But other than those two and the one in 1969, no."

"Hmm." He stared off into the middle distance for a moment, then looked down at her. "Rose, I'm assuming you're going to forgive me for this, but I have to at least say this…however you're feeling right now, however unhappy or angry or scared you are in this moment, I promise you that it will get better…you _will_ be happy again. Don't forget that. Can you do that for me?"

"I…yeah, alright," she said, a little breathlessly. Her emotions had been warring in her head since the Doctor had come back the day before, the fury and fear and resentment battling with themselves for superiority and doing their best to hold back any positive emotions that tried to leak through because of the Doctor's presence. While she was absolutely certain that the Brigadier's statement meant that she'd see him again, and that he absolutely should not have told her that, for a moment, hope made a considerable charge.

All of the negative troops were forced to fall back to regroup, however, when she heard the unmistakable sound of the TARDIS materializing. The Brigadier dropped his arm as she turned to see the ship appear a few scant fee away, singing triumphantly in her head. The effect was slightly marred when the first people she saw were Jack and Martha as they spilled out, coughing and waving smoke out of their faces. They both froze when they saw her, wide grins slowly spreading across their faces.

"Alright, maybe not completely ready," the Doctor's voice said, then he was backing out with a fire extinguisher blasting. "It's alright, I think we're—what?"

Martha, having gotten his attention by patting his arm, simply pointed to Rose. He turned and stared at her for a second, just long enough to make her aware of her lingering bruises, unhealthy skinniness, and worn clothing. Then he took a few quick strides forward and pulled her into his arms, lifting her off the ground completely as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, drinking in the scent of cinnamon and Time and home and something so completely _him_ that it brought tears to her eyes. He was shaking slightly and holding her impossibly tightly, making her even more concerned about what had happened when the TV had cut out, but for the moment, all that mattered was that they were together in each other's arms…just as it should be.

"Hello," he murmured next to her ear, and a shiver ran up her spine.

"Hello," she said breathlessly.

For his part, the Doctor trying and failing to maintain some sort of control over himself as bent his head over hers. The moment he laid eyes on her, everyone else disappeared. She was so thin and frail looking, so obviously abused…but so, so _alive_. Just the feel of her in his arms again was nearly his undoing. His eyes burned as the constant tension he'd felt for the last year slowly started to recede, leaving him feeling a little weak and shaken. The feeble remnant of their bond brightened somewhat as soon as he touched her, marginally soothing the parts of him that had been left raw by her absence. He'd have to go into her mind later to return the bond to its former strength, but after nine months with nothing but black emptiness, even the slightest hint of her presence in his mind felt like heaven.

Eventually, he set her back down on the ground and pulled back far enough to kiss her, but stopped when he looked over her face again.

"No, I'm sorry, hold on," he said, stepping back and reaching into his jacket for his sonic screwdriver.

"I…I know I look like hell," she stammered, looking down quickly.

"Don't do that," he said softly, tilting her face back up with a hand under her chin. "Don't. You're beautiful. You're _always _beautiful. But I don't ever want it to hurt when I kiss you," he added, bringing the sonic up, deftly switching the setting and running it over the bruises on her mouth, cheek, and eye. The anger that hadn't yet subsided boiled a little more when he saw the scar on her cheek, probably from the same ring that had cut his brow, but he could deal with that later. "Better?" he asked after a moment when the bruising had faded, running a thumb over her cheek. She nodded, and he dropped the sonic in favor of pulling her close again as he kissed her. Her arms immediately went around his neck again, one hand moving up tangle her fingers in his hair, and he groaned as her tongue caressed his lower lip before he gladly deepened the kiss. Despite the pain and emptiness that had been associated with the loss of their bond, _this _was what the Doctor had longed for, the small moments in which he held her close and kissed her thoroughly, and the rest of the universe fell away around them.

He finally broke the kiss reluctantly when he was breathless enough that her lungs must have been burning, but didn't move away, resting his forehead on hers instead.

"I love you, Rose Tyler," he said quietly.

"Always, my Doctor," she whispered back. She looked up at him, her hazel eyes still beautiful despite being surrounded by dark circles and pale features. After a moment, she moved her hand to touch his blackened eye gently. "What happened, Doctor? Everything cut out, and then my head…I thought…I thought you died…"

"I didn't," he said, pulling her into a tight hug again and pressing a kiss to her hair. "I'm sorry…for everything that you've gone through. But it's over…and I promise I'll explain everything later. But for right now, I just want to enjoy the fact that we're both alive."

"Can you fix it?" she asked.

"Yes, Rose," he assured her. "Later. Few more things to wrap up, but later…we'll talk, and I'll fix it."

"Kay," she said weakly, snuggling into his chest and making him chuckle a little. He looked up, remembering finally that they weren't actually alone, only to see the other three smiling a little at them. He cleared his throat and straightened up a little.

"Give me a minute to talk to Alistair," he said. "I think Jack and Martha might want to say hello to you as well."

He watched as she grinned and ran up to Jack, who immediately swept her up in his arms and once again kissed her hard on the mouth. The Doctor didn't even both reprimanding him this time. Rose might be the Doctor's wife, but Jack was Jack, and he'd had to witness her death as well. He could be allowed a moment of exuberance. The Doctor shook his head and turned back to the Brigadier.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, holding out his hand to shake Alistair's.

"Of course," Alistair said. "And I promise you, anyone involved with keeping her imprisoned will be investigated fully."

"Glad to hear it," the Doctor said. "As much as I'd _quite_ like to meet them, I'm fairly certain your way would be far more acceptable."

"Most likely," Alistair said. "Though there's a few unacceptable things I'd like to do to a few of them myself. I saw the cell, and she told me how long she'd been kept there…I'm honestly surprised at how well she's handling herself."

"Just too good," the Doctor murmured, glancing back at Rose as she hugged Martha. "Granted, part of that is because she's happy to be out. I think more of it might hit her later."

"That's possible," Alistair agreed, and the Doctor saw caught the wary look as he turned back. "What about you, Doctor? What happened up there? What became of the Master?"

"He's gone," the Doctor said, his voice hard. "Dead. He didn't regenerate."

"Did you—"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Though I came close. No, strangely enough, it was his wife that shot him. I'll take care of it, though."

"And the spheres?" the Brig asked.

"Also gone," the Doctor told him. "They never should have been here in the first place. Look, it's all…complicated. Just trust me when I say that it's over. Harold Saxon will be nothing but a bad memory, though considerably less so than he could have been."

"You make reports very difficult, you know that?" Alistair said with a sigh.

"Oh yes," the Doctor said, smiling. "Wouldn't be half as interesting if they were easy."

Alistair shook his head and smirked, then glanced up at the sky. "Thank you, Doctor, for saving the world…again."

"Wasn't just me," the Doctor said, nodding back at his friends. "Couldn't have done it without them."

"Since when do you share credit?" Alistair asked with a grin.

"Hmm…good point, don't let that get around," the Doctor said. "It'd really tarnish my image as a self-absorbed, condescending genius."

"Perish the thought," Alistair shot back, and they grinned at each other before Alistair held his hand out to the Doctor once more. "Always a pleasure, Doctor…despite the circumstances."

"Likewise," the Doctor said. "Thank you again, Alistair. For saving my world."

"Take care of each other," he replied. "Until next time. Rose," he added, calling to her. "Remember what I said."

"I will," she told him, surprising the Doctor as she skipped up to the Brigadier and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Thanks, Brig."

The Brigadier nodded at them, then turned and walked into the building while the Doctor turned to Rose curiously.

"What'd he say?" he asked.

"Just some friendly advice," she said with a shrug.

He looked after the Brigadier thoughtfully for a moment, then stooped to retrieve his fallen sonic screwdriver. When he straightened, he took hold of Rose again, dropping a quick kiss on her lips before pulling her tight against his chest again. Even letting her go long enough for her to say hello to their friends and talk to Alistair had been difficult; those months without her had been riddled with memories of every missed opportunity, every time he could have held her and didn't, every time he could have shared something but hid, all because he was too afraid of losing her. He'd made a pact with himself sometime during that period that, regardless of a bond that would keep him from fleeing too far, he wasn't going to miss any opportunities with her ever again.

"C'mon," he murmured after a moment. "Let's go home."


	63. Safe and Sound

**_Okay, this one's a little high on the angst meter...there's a whole crap load of issues to work through. But at least the Doctor and Rose have found each other and can actually work through those. I promise the next one will be at least marginally happier._**

**_Also, check out the second author's note at the end. There's a thing._**

* * *

It was another several hours before the Doctor managed to tear himself away from Rose again. He'd sat with her while she'd taken a long bath, his eyes cataloguing every new scar while they talked quietly about everything but what had happened to them. He knew that right now, she was just trying to avoid it and move on…he also knew that wouldn't last long. It was generally how she worked, though. He wasn't sure if she'd gotten that from him, or it was something that she'd already done, but she generally remained cheerful until something happened, either a bad dream or the sight of some trinket that reminded her of something, and she fell apart. He allowed it for the moment only because he still had things that he had to take care of, and he just wasn't prepared yet to come clean about everything that had happened since he'd last seen her. He couldn't until he'd taken care of the Master and put the whole matter to rest in a definitive way.

To that end, once everyone was in the media room watching something blessedly mindless, he'd reluctantly left her side, promising that he'd be back shortly and leaving quick instructions with Jack not to leave her alone for a moment. He hadn't missed the wary look she'd given their en suite before entering it, and had sent a silent thanks to his ship when she did step in to find the ceiling was now vaulted and matched the one in their bedroom, the walls a subtle but complimentary red tone. If she was that spooked by what had been a white room, he wasn't sure how she'd deal with being alone again so soon after her rescue. Jack, thankfully, had understood immediately, nodding and moving to share the sofa with her, the move subtle but significant. The Doctor walked away shaking his head, realizing yet again that Jack was a much better friend to him than he had ever been to the captain.

He paused when he made it to the infirmary, his eye catching on the items strewn haphazardly on the counters. The bandages, the splints…the scalpels and what appeared to be a small hammer…he took a deep breath, his blood boiling again. Then he spotted Rose's necklace and bracelets scattered among the debris and closed his eyes, emotions warring in him. Jack had gotten her rings from Lucy and given them to the Doctor when he first made it back to the TARDIS, but the Doctor had been getting concerned about where the rest of it had gone, so he was glad to have found them. But seeing them thrown in with items directly related to at least one form of torture with such blatant disregard to their importance infuriated him. Although, knowing the Master as well as he did, he realized that was probably deliberate. Either way, he pocketed the items before pushing everything else into a rubbish bin. He could replace anything that proved necessary later…right now, he just wanted it all _gone_ as he tried to ignore the acute sense of violation he had regarding the fact that the Master had used _his_ TARDIS as a setting for torture.

It wasn't until he was building the pyre around the Master that grief started to take hold. The anger and hatred born of the things that had occurred over the last year had kept it at bay, but it was collecting its due now. Regardless of what the Master had done, he was still the only other Time Lord in existence, as well as being a person that the Doctor had once trusted above all others, holding him closer than a brother. As loathe as the Doctor was to accept it, the Master's passing had left him bereft, and the feeling of profound loss only worsened as he finished the pyre. He faltered for a moment when it was done, holding a lit torch and staring at the construction that held one of his best friends and most hated enemies at once.

It was then that he felt a small, soft hand slip into his larger one, and looked down to see Rose watching him with a sad expression.

"You don't have to do this," he said in a hoarse voice.

"You didn't really think I'd make you do this alone, did you?" she asked quietly, putting her other hand on his bicep and squeezing gently. He nodded a little, not trusting himself to speak around the lump in his throat, then stepped forward to light the pyre. They watched it for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.

"He told me a story once," Rose said softly after a moment, and the Doctor looked down at her again. "About running away and climbing a tree with you. Two little lost boys…always running. I'm sorry, Doctor," she added, looking up at him.

"You of all people shouldn't be sorry," he replied, tossing the torch into the fire.

"I'm not sorry he's gone," Rose said. "But I am sorry that he wouldn't let you help…and that you lost him." She paused, her expression thoughtful for a moment. "I think…I think he wanted to die. I mean, I think he definitely wanted to take over the world and go to war with the universe, but…I don't think he _could_ stop, even if he wanted to, and I think that, if he couldn't win, he wanted to die."

He stared at her for a moment, his jaw dropping a little. Given that the Master had refused to regenerate, her theory actually made a twisted sort of sense…but it never failed to astound him the way Rose could get inside people's heads and see everything they weren't saying, that they never wanted to admit.

_"What about her? Won't she ever be silent?"_

Interesting.

"Come on," he said finally, pulling her back toward the TARDIS. Jack was leaning on the frame of the door when they approached; he nodded at the Doctor and turned back inside, heading back for the media room.

"Did you ask him to keep an eye on me?" Rose asked, watching the captain's retreating back.

"Well…more sort of keep you company," the Doctor said, shrugging out of his coat. "I didn't want you to be alone while I was gone."

He moved down the corridor, stopping at the infirmary. He glanced at Rose and saw her shaking again, her eyes wide as she wrapped her arms around herself and looked at the doorway.

"I just need to pick something up," he said softly, fighting the urge to punch a wall at the sight of Rose panicking about a room in her own home. "You don't have to come in."

She nodded, giving him a grateful look. "I'll…um…I'll be in the kitchen. I'm dying for a cup of that Blofonot tea."

She turned quickly, thankfully missing the wince and shudder her choice of words induced. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be quite able to deal with that phrase from her again. He shook himself and stepped inside the infirmary, rooting around for a few minutes before he found the object of his quest. Something else he'd acquired along the way but never really used, keeping it only because there might one day come a time he'd need it. Sometimes, he loved his own hoarding tendencies.

Rose was setting two steaming mugs on the table when the Doctor found her.

"The other two still in the media room?" he asked.

"Nah, they just stopped by to say they were going to bed," she said. "Seems it was a bit of a long day for you three."

"Yeah," he said, avoiding her eye as he sat down and set up the machine.

"So what's that?" she asked as she took the seat next to his.

"Dermal reconstructor," he said, calibrating it as he pulled out the wand. "Sort of a portable plastic surgery unit. Not great for any huge cosmetic changes, but…does do wonders on scar tissue."

She frowned at him. "You've never mentioned having that before. We've both gotten scars from one adventure or other."

"Yeah, but those are…I don't really care about those, and you've never seemed to," he said. "However…this," he said, touching the scar over her cheekbone, "does not sit well with me at all. I don't want you to have to see that every time you look in the mirror and be reminded of what happened for the rest of your life. I can't take everything away…but I can do this."

She gave him a steady look, then nodded. "But only if you talk while you're working and tell me exactly what all of you are tiptoeing around."

He paused as he held the wand out, then sighed. "You're too observant for your own good sometimes, Rose Tyler."

"So sue me," she replied easily. "Talk to me."

He watched the machine do its work removing the scar tissue for a moment, trying to assemble his thoughts into some order.

"You know how you said there was something wrong with the TARDIS?" he asked finally, and she nodded. "He'd turned it into a paradox machine. Those 'Toclafane' were actually humans from Utopia, some mangled and twisted version of them."

"Oh my god," she whispered, and he nodded as he moved on to the scars on her arms.

"That's why he needed the paradox machine, because otherwise they wouldn't have been able to kill humans without killing themselves," he explained.

"But…I mean, they didn't actually show up," Rose said, confused. "Pretty sure the Brig would have said something about a few million spheres showing up and offing everyone."

"A few billion," he corrected. "And he might have…if he could remember it." He glanced up at her as he moved on to her other arm. "Thing is…once we were able to break the paradox machine, time reverted back, so it never happened. Jack, Martha and I all remember, because we were on the Valiant with the machine…sort of the epicenter of it all. Eye of the storm. But no one else."

"You didn't just see me yesterday, did you?" Rose asked carefully.

"No," he admitted. "Bit longer than that."

"How much is a bit?" she asked.

"Um…a year," he said slowly, putting the wand down and running his hands over her now blemish free arms, making sure he hadn't missed anything.

"A _year?_" she asked. "I was stuck in that place for a whole 'nother _year_?"

"Better than being on the Valiant and—" He stopped, swallowing his words. Not the way to bring it up. She was looking at him curiously again. "I tried, Rose…I swear to you, I tried. But I couldn't stop him. The only thing I could do was make sure that you weren't anywhere near the paradox machine, so that when you—so that anything else that happened to you could be undone."

"I didn't make it a year, did I?" she asked softly. He swallowed hard and shook his head. "How long has it been?"

"Nine months," he replied, his voice hoarse.

"Oh, Doctor," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck as she moved from her chair to his lap. He held her tightly and buried his face in her neck, tears burning his eyes as she stroked his hair lightly. She pulled away after a moment, kissing him tenderly and moving one of her hands to his cheek. She moved her thumb over his cheekbone under his blackened eye as she broke the kiss.

"That's why the bond…?" she asked, trailing off. He nodded as he sucked in a deep breath. "Did it hurt?"

"More than you can possibly imagine," he said honestly.

"But you can fix it?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I just…with everything that happened, my mind's been a rather…dark place as of late. I wanted to talk to you before I fixed it so you wouldn't be completely overwhelmed if anything nasty got through."

"Are you…are you sure you still…you know…" She trailed off, and he stared at her, confused. She bit her lip, then sighed. "Do you even want to fix it, Doctor?"

"Of course," he said, without hesitation. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well…I mean…everything that we went through before you were finally able to do it," she said slowly. "All those fears you had that…sort of turned into your worst nightmare when the Master showed up. And then all that pain when I…was gone. Are you sure you wanna go through that again?"

"Rose…the Master was incredibly good at being my worst nightmare," the Doctor said. "But you're my _wife_…regardless of whatever paranoia and phobias I had to get over to make that happen, I wouldn't change it now for the world." He paused, then shifted her on his lap so he could get into his pockets, pulling out her various items of jewelry as well as his sonic. "This," he said, clasping Susan's bracelet on one wrist, "I gave you because you're my family…the only one I've got, the only one who believes in me enough to want to stay with me, just like her. This," he continued, using the sonic to clasp the charm bracelet on her other wrist, "is for every moment that you surprised me, or challenged me, or made me believe I was more than who I thought I was…for every time I fell just a little more in love with you, regardless of how long it took me to actually admit it. This," he said, reaching forward and clasping the necklace behind her, "is for the scarred hearts you stole…oh…so long ago, the ones you healed and made whole, the ones I wouldn't take back now, even if I could. And these," he finished, slipping her rings onto her finger, ignoring the fact that they were far too big at the moment, "are because I love you, Rose Tyler, and what I've been able to share with you is worth far more than any pain the universe could possibly devise."

"So that's a yes, then?" she asked, her voice catching slightly even as she gave him a small smile.

"Yes," he said instantly, and she gave him a full blown Rose Tyler grin, stealing his breath completely before she leaned forward and kissed him. He returned her kiss hungrily, his tongue dancing with hers and mapping out her mouth as his hand moved to the back of her neck, keeping her in place. When she finally pulled away, they were both gasping. She looked at him for a second, then her eyes narrowed as she picked up the sonic screwdriver that had landed in her lap and started fiddling with it.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What's setting do you use when you take care of injuries?" she asked.

"Hundred and six," he said promptly. "Why?"

She didn't say anything, just flicked the setting and held it up, running it over the gash on his brow and blackened eye. He smirked at her look of intense concentration as she worked, and at her decisive nod as she turned the sonic off again.

"Better?" he asked.

"Mhm," she said, slipping the screwdriver back into his jacket pocket before cuddling into his chest and leaning her head on his shoulder. "My Doctor…so worried about taking care of everyone else, you forget to take care of yourself."

He pressed a kiss to her hair, then laid his cheek on top of her head, content for the moment just to hold her. He smiled a little when he felt her body relax against him and her breathing start to even out, and moved his arm to hook behind her knees as he got to his feet and carried her to their bedroom. She only stirred a little when he gently laid her down in bed.

"Mm…no, Doctor," she murmured sleepily. "We have to…have to fix it…"

"Shh," he whispered, his hand smoothing back her hair. "We've got plenty of time for that. You've barely slept for weeks. Just rest."

"Stay," she said weakly, holding on to his hand.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her. "Go back to sleep."

Once she was asleep again, he pulled back to peel off his jacket and loosen his tie, rolling up his shirtsleeves as he toed off his trainers. He slipped on his brainy specs and picked up the leather journal on his desk and a pen before moving to the bed again. He still had another day at least before he really started needing sleep, and he knew Rose. Someone needed to keep watch for demons.

oOoOo

_Rose woke up in the white cell and nearly started screaming immediately. It was a dream. It was all a dream. The Doctor had never come back…the Brigadier had never come to take her out of the cell. The feeling of the Doctor had gotten even weaker in her mind…in her dream, it was because she'd died. In reality…he wasn't coming for her. He was moving further away. The Master had been right. He was never coming for her. After she'd been taken, he'd probably been thankful…now he wouldn't be saddled to a lowly shop girl from London for the next few centuries. After all, it was only a matter of time until the Master killed her…or maybe he'd simply let her waste away, alone and abandoned in this tiny, sterile hell. Then the Doctor would be completely free of her, not even a presence in his mind anymore._

_He didn't want her back. If he did, he would have come for her by now. She'd pushed him, manipulated him into loving her from that first moment she'd come back. They hadn't been as close the first time, maybe there was a reason. Maybe he just pitied her…_

_That was probably it. He'd just pitied her and her lack of family, her naïve notion that it was worth it to stay with him. He'd never cared about her. For all she knew, even the bond was fake. Maybe he'd been lying to her the whole time just to appease her. After all, he was a Time Lord…she was just a genetic mutation, something that shouldn't exist, but that he was responsible for. That's the only reason he'd kept her around at all._

_And now, because of him, because of his lies about her importance, she was stuck in a cell, going through a period of time that had been horrible the first time, now unbearable the third round. All for him, so she could save him, even though he didn't deign her worthy of saving back. Look what happened in France. This was just a bigger scale of that. He'd jumped through a closed time window to get away from her, she should have taken the hint. Sure, he'd apologized, but that was just because she was a nightmare, and it was easier to let her think he cared then break in a new companion._

_The keypad outside her door started beeping, and she cowered on the bed. The Master opened the door and looked down at her, cool and collected, so sure of himself and his power over her._

"_Rose," he said quietly._

_She flew at him, beating her fists against his chest and screaming when he took hold of both her wrists—_

"ROSE! Rose, stop, _please_!"

Her eyes snapped open when she registered a different voice. The Doctor's warm brown eyes were looking down at her in concern, his hands gripping her wrists gently but firmly.

"No no no no…" she moaned. "But this was a dream…"

"No, love," he said, his thumbs moving over her skin. "No, you were having a dream just now. You're safe, you're in the TARDIS with me."

"You left me!" she shouted, ripping her hands from his as angry tears sprang from her eyes. "You abandoned me there! I thought…I thought you were never coming back! I was stuck, alone, being tortured by your favorite frenemy, and I couldn't stop it, I couldn't do anything, for all my _supposed_ brilliance, I couldn't stop it. I was just another stupid ape and _you weren't there_!"

She struggled against him when he reached for her, but he was stronger. He tugged her close to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly as he held her against his chest, and she broke down in sobs, clutching at his shirt. His hand moved in small circles over her back as he rocked her gently, his cheek pressed against her forehead.

"I'm sorry," she heard him whisper against her ear. "I'm so sorry, Rose."

After a few minutes, the tears slowed to a trickle from the wracking sobs, and she was able to think a little more clearly. Rationally, she knew that all the doubt and anger and insecurity of the dream was completely absurd…the Doctor would never abandon her, and he'd never lied to her about his feelings for her, other than perhaps when he'd tried to pretend he didn't have any. She knew that nothing would stop him from getting to her. But alone in that cell, it was so easy to believe that she was nothing to anyone, much less him.

"I didn't abandon you," he said softly as she quieted, lying limp against him. "As long as I'm alive, I will _always_ come after you, Rose Tyler."

"I know," she said weakly.

"I know you do," he said, pressing a kiss to her hair, then smoothing it back. "But I'll keep repeating it until your dreams stop trying to tell you otherwise. As for the rest of it…you _are_ brilliant, and more than capable…but the Master had an unfair advantage from the first moment, and he used it. He exerted control over your entire life…there was nothing you could have done. He managed to trap me for a year too. If it wasn't for Martha, I dunno if I even would have made it."

"What'd Martha do?" she asked, wiping tears from her cheeks with her sleeve.

He smiled softly. "She walked the entire earth and told everyone about me. Told them to think of me at a particular moment, while I aligned myself with the Archangel Network. The Master…was not expecting that."

Rose snorted. "Can't say you don't have style."

"Jack said the same thing," he said, frowning. Then his face cleared, and he tilted her chin up. "Point is, what happened to you has nothing to do with whether or not you're clever or able to take care of yourself. If you'd tried anything else, he might've killed you before I made it back. And that…that is just…unacceptable."

He bent down to give her a soft, chaste kiss, running his thumb over her cheek as he pulled back to look at her again.

"I'm…I'm sorry," she said, tears springing to her eyes again.

"What for?" he asked, confused.

"For…getting so angry," she said. "For saying you abandoned me and everything."

"Don't be," he said. "You have every right to be angry. Whether it was true or not, all the evidence pointed to it. Anyone else would have hated me and not even bothered to hear an explanation. Granted, most people would have been broken long before I got there. But not you, my brilliant, stunning Rose." He paused, running his hand over her hair again. "If it makes you feel any better, I was angry at you for dying."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. She was even more surprised when she realized that, weirdly, it did actually make her feel a little better. Unjustified anger is easier to deal with when it's shared.

"Mhm," he said. "You'd promised me forever, after all. And really, Rose, I specifically asked you not to get shot in the head."

She giggled, then covered her mouth quickly even as he smirked. "I really shouldn't be laughing at that."

"Probably not," he said. "But that's what we do. Laugh at the dark until even we're convinced we're not afraid."

"Suppose," she said, then sighed.

"It'll get easier, Rose," he said. "You've been through an incredibly traumatic experience, and while I can heal your wounds and make your scars disappear, I can't take that away. All that can is time."

"You've got a time machine," she reminded him, sniffling a little. He smiled down at her a little sadly, and she took a deep breath. "I know. Even the TARDIS has limits…even if she does like breaking those sometimes."

The ship hummed around them, and they both smiled. Rose took another deep breath, then remembered what the Brigadier had said.

"_However you're feeling right now, however unhappy or angry or scared you are in this moment, I promise you that it will get better…you will be happy again. Don't forget that. Can you do that for me?"_

"Think we'll be okay, Doctor?" she asked.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "We'll be fine. We'll be _brilliant_. It's just going to take a little while. To that end…I believe there was something I needed to fix."

"Oh!" she cried, sitting up straighter and moving to sit across from him, but he held her firmly on his lap.

"It's not going to be like before," he explained. "It won't take nearly as long, and you won't…see what you did. It's sort of…think of it like a camera out of focus. The bond is seeing a double image, conflicting realities. I just need to bring it back into focus. But…there might be some emotional backlash on both of us."

She nodded, and he leaned down to kiss her, bringing his hand up to her temple at the same time. She felt the presence in the back of her mind spring to life, followed immediately by a tsunami of emotion. She gasped as it hit her; the grief and rage he'd felt was immeasurable, and it beat against her. But even that wasn't comparable to the joy he felt now that she was back, shining through the darkness. As the wave receded, she felt his glittering presence glowing brightly in her mind again, complete with the sense of unconditional love and acceptance she always got from him, and she looked up at him. He was watching her warily, much like he had when he'd first created the bond.

"Oh, Doctor," she said softly, putting a hand on his cheek, and he leaned into it with a little contented noise. "Better?" she asked.

"Much," he replied. "You alright?"

"Course," she said flippantly, knowing he'd always be afraid of her reaction to his darker moments. "Made of stronger stuff than all that. The Oncoming Storm…more like the Oncoming Drizzle."

He arched an eyebrow at her as she gave him a teasing tongue in teeth grin, then growled and flipped them so that he was pressing her into the mattress as he kissed her passionately. She returned the kiss with equal fervor, her fingers scraping over his scalp and making him groan as his hand skimmed up her ribs under her shirt.

Whatever had happened, whatever might come, she knew they'd be alright. Rose Tyler, with her Doctor, in the TARDIS.

* * *

_**So I did a thing! Or, more accurately, had a thing done on my behalf, because there are still parts of the internet that elude my understanding. My absolutely wonderful (and self-professed) FanGirl, oldbutnew-newbutold, made me a tumblr blog, the link to which is now posted on my profile. I'm gonna start posting my stories there as well, starting all the way back with the beginning of The Wolf and the Thief. The prologue got posted the other day, and I'm planning to update it every Wednesday and Saturday. I've got two very good reasons for telling you this:**_

_**One, the posts there will include the artwork of the lovely Miss Moria, who has embarked on a fanart project of epic proportions and is trying to make an illustration for every chapter. All of the ones I've seen thus far are amazing, and capture moments in the story quite well.**_

_**Two, I'm doing some some substantial retcon edits of the story, since I only had the vaguest idea of what I was doing or where I was going with it when I started, and there are things about that story that bug me because of that. Example would be Pete's post its, which were added on a whim for Rise of the Cybermen, but everyone seemed to love...the prologue in Pete's World has been edited to include those. There's going to be edits sort of like that with varying degrees of severity throughout the story, as well as some new content interspersed sporadically. My question is this, dear readers...those of you who read that story, is there anything you would have liked to see added or done differently? Any portion that didn't work, didn't make sense, or seemed to be left out? Since I'm inviting this critique, I will attempt to handle it with as much aplomb and as few toddler-ish tantrums as possible. That said, this isn't an invitation to flame (everything of that ilk will be ignored), and although I will consider anything and everything else, I retain veto rights on anything that I don't think makes sense or fits the story. But feel free to drop a review on either story or send me a PM if there's anything you'd like to suggest.**_


	64. Fare Thee Well

_**Okay, first of all, I am SO sorry this took so long. This chapter was giving me fits...it was so completely uncooperative, and made me stare at my screen in hatred for several days before I finally figured out a way to make it work. So yeah. Sorry. Anyway...goodbyes for Team TARDIS, and the last chapter for this story. More information in the a/n at the end.**_

* * *

The morning after the paradox was broken, Jack wandered into the console room to see Rose kneeling next to a pair of pinstriped legs sticking out from under the console.

"It's not the wormhole refractors," Rose said.

"Rose, as intelligent as you might be, I think I know how to fix my own ship after a few hundred years with her," the Doctor replied in a tone bordering on patronizing, then yelped when sparks flew from the console. This was quickly followed by a bang, a groan, and muttered cursing as the Doctor hit his head on the console while trying to wiggle out from underneath it.

"Told you," Rose said in a satisfied tone, then glanced up to see Jack watching them with a bemused smile. "C'mon, captain," Rose said, rising smoothly. "Lets you and me get a cuppa while the Doctor and his ship work out their differences."

She bent down and kissed the spot the Doctor was rubbing on his forehead, and he gave her a soft smile before she turned and headed off down the corridor. Jack hesitated, but the Doctor turned and went back to his work, muttering to himself. The captain shrugged and followed Rose back to the kitchen, where she was already setting up the kettle.

"Things like this," she said conversationally. "Just making yourself a cuppa tea, you never really realize how much you take it for granted until you're not allowed to do it anymore."

"Funny old life," Jack said, sitting down at the table. "How're you doing, Rosie?"

"I'm…alright, I suppose," she said, leaning against the counter. "Considering…you know…everything. Just not being there, being home with you and Martha and the Doctor, it all helps."

"The worst of it should pass within a couple of weeks," Jack said. "Isolation like that…so long as you can keep from going completely bonkers, the other symptoms should fade. The mood swings, the paranoia…things like that. The phobias might take a little longer, but they shouldn't be as severe."

Rose tilted her head as she studied him. "You say that like you've experienced it."

"World War I and II," he said with a shrug. "Not everyone respects Geneva."

"I'm sorry, Jack," she said.

"It's okay," he assured her. "The toughest part was avoiding running into myself or you two during the Blitz," he added with a grin. "Thought of you every time I heard _Moonlight Serenade._"

"Our song," she said with a grin, then turned as the kettle started whistling.

"He tell you what happened?" Jack asked.

"More or less," Rose said as she fixed them both steaming mugs of tea. "A year that never happened but was filled murdering spheres, Martha walking the Earth, and me dying. Although, pretty sure you probably did your fair share of dying in that year as well," she added as she put the mug down in front of him and took a seat next to him. "Doesn't seem like an opportunity the Master would have passed up."

"Not likely," Jack agreed, getting an itchy feeling again where the chains had been.

"How was he?" Rose asked. "Really? I could feel some of the emotions, once he fixed the bond…but…"

"He was angrier than I've ever seen him," Jack said honestly. "And I saw his face when he found out what had happened to you during that year and a half we missed. That was _nothing_ compared to the way he looked at the Master after you died. If he'd had the power at the time, he would have killed him right then."

"You think?" she asked.

"Definitely," Jack said with a nod. "Looking back, you being alive again is probably the only thing that made him think twice about killing the Master when we were on the Valiant. He did kick his ass a little, though, and held a gun on him for a minute or two."

"The Doctor held a gun on someone?" Rose asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Not the first time I've seen it," Jack said. "He did that back at Satellite Five when he thought you were dead, too. Seems to be a pattern. If it had just been the Toclafane…or whatever…and the people of Earth who'd suffered, all those nameless billions who cried his name and then forgot him…I think he might have still shown the Master mercy. But the minute it's you…all bets are off."

"I dunno if that's good or bad," she said, looking down at her tea.

"Both, probably," Jack said. "Most things are. You're the one thing that could send him over the edge. But…look at him, Rose. You're also the one thing that turned a cold, hard, wounded soldier into someone who could care about people and accept that people care about him, someone who could actually allow himself a moment of happiness, even if it scared the hell out of him. And you keep him fighting. Always. You give him something worth fighting for, and something to return to."

"Thanks, Jack," she said with a smile, reaching forward to take his hand, and he squeezed hers reassuringly. "So what about you?"

"What about me?" he asked.

"How're you doing, Jack?" Rose asked. "Really?"

"I get the feeling you're not talking about the year that never happened anymore, Rosie," he said, and she gave him a sort of half smile. He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest in an unconscious defensive gesture. "I'm alright."

"Jack," she said, her voice a warning and a question at once.

"Do you two practice that?" he asked, eyeing her, then sighed. "I dunno. When I met you, my biggest worries were who I was going to get into bed that night, how much my next scam was going to pay off, and how to keep a step ahead of the Time Agency."

"And now?" she prompted.

"Now…I've been around a long time," he said. "I've had too much time to make mistakes, to let bitterness leave it's mark…lost too many people." He paused, debating how much he wanted to share with her. He knew she was still fragile, and shouldn't have to bear his problems on top of her own…he'd also gotten really used to holding everything close to the vest. But this was Rose…hiding things wasn't easy around her. Even the Doctor couldn't do it. "I dunno, Rosie. It's easier around you two to pretend that I'm still that guy, the one who can charm his way out of a paper bag and never think twice about anything. But I see you two…I see the way he is with you now, all that chilly distance gone, that weary soldier put to rest…you've made him better. I've only gotten worse."

"Oh, Jack," she said sadly.

"My team doesn't know anything about me," he went on, the words pouring out now. "Because they don't really want to. If they really knew everything I'd seen, everything I'd done…not only would I lose their respect, but I'd lose whatever friendship I have with them too. So I just have to pretend that's okay, that I know what the hell I'm doing, that…that some days, the only thing that keeps me going is the fact that I couldn't die if I wanted to."

"Would it be so bad if they knew something about you?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said, shrugging. "I mean, there was an…incident…so they all know I can't die. Funny story, turns out that the devil, the one you and the Doctor _thought_—"

"Jack."

"I don't know, okay?" he said, frustrated. "I just…you know, you and the Doctor, you got your happy ending. I mean, yeah, you had to go through hell to get there, and it nearly got blown to hell when the Master showed up, but it's still there. But that's not gonna happen for me. There's not going to be someone to tear apart a transdimensional spaceship for me. I've cared about so many people over the years, fallen in love with a few of them, but it all comes down to the same thing…I lose. Every time."

"You sound like the Doctor now," Rose commented.

"See what I mean?" Jack asked. "You fixed him—"

"But I broke you," she said softly.

"No," he said quickly. "No. I mean, you brought me back to life, but you didn't dictate what I should do with that life. It's not your fault. It's just…you know, I used to think, better to have loved and lost, all that jazz. Now…I just wish, just once, that I didn't have to lose."

"Never thought I'd hear you begging for monogamy," she said with a small smile.

"You're telling me," he said. "I mean…there's people. There's one…but…I dunno." He paused, glancing at her. "Hey, who knows? Maybe when I get to be as old as the Doctor, I'll get lucky too."

"Maybe," she said. "But this team…they're good?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling fondly. "They're good. We're sort of like the island of misfit toys. A little broken, a little weird…but we fit, you know?"

"You love them, don't you?" she asked.

"Every single one," he admitted. "I kept thinking about them this past year…the year that never was. That team of mine. Time I had some responsibility."

"Good for you, Jack," Rose said with a smile, then looked up as Martha walked in. "Oh, and look what we have here…the woman who walked the Earth. How're you doing, Martha?"

"I'm alright," Martha said, going to the counter and fixing herself a mug of tea. "Felt nice to be able to sleep without worrying about who or what might sneak up on you."

"I'll bet," Rose said with a smile. "You know, the Doctor said he couldn't have done any of it without you. You're brilliant, you are."

"You know…I spent a lot of time when I first met you two thinking I'd never measure up," Martha said as she sat down. "But you know what? I am good."

"Yes, you are," Rose said with a laugh. "So what do you think? Are you gonna keep travelling with us?"

"I…I dunno," Martha said. "I need to see my family, see how they're holding up."

"Good call," Rose said, pulling her legs up on to the chair and wrapping her arms around them.

"What about you?" Martha asked, watching her. "How're you holding up?"

"I'm…coping," she said, glancing around her.

_Claustrophobia_, Jack thought, following her eyes to the white walls around them. He was about to suggest they move locations when music started pouring into the room, followed quickly by the Doctor striding in and holding a hand out to Rose.

"Rose Tyler, I believe this is my dance," he said with a grin. She looked up at him for a moment, then smiled and took his hand, letting him sweep her up into his arms.

_So reel me in my precious girl  
Come on, take me home  
Cause my body's tired of traveling  
And my heart don't wish to roam_

"You know, Martha," Jack commented as he watched the pair twirl. "I was there the first time they danced together."

The Doctor dipped Rose over his arm and looked up at Jack over her. "Jack…you only _wish_ you'd been there the first time we danced," he said before pulling a giggling Rose back up into his arms and spinning her around.

"Well, yeah," Jack replied. "Who doesn't?"

"Um, me?" Martha suggested. "Bad enough hearing them through the thin walls of that flat."

The Doctor leaned down and kissed Rose deeply and unashamedly without breaking step, and Jack laughed out loud while Martha rolled her eyes. When the song trailed off, it was quickly followed by the opening notes to _Moonlight Serenade_, and Jack grinned as the Doctor bowed theatrically to Rose before moving to pull Martha up into a dance, allowing Jack to take Rose into his arms for "their song". Then all four danced like lunatics to the Proclaimers, Jack sliding on his knees across the floor to tell Martha Jones he'd fall down at her door.

Sometime during all this, Jack came to a realization. Maybe he hadn't found his happy ending yet…maybe they didn't even really exist, given what the Doctor and Rose had just been through. But there were moments, scattered across a life, that could hold unbelievable happiness, and that wasn't nothing. Maybe it was even enough to get him through the next few centuries…that hope for the next moment he'd get blindsided by something brilliant in the universe.

Definitely not nothing.

oOoOo

Half an hour later, the four of them were leaning on the railing in Millennium Square in Cardiff, watching the crowds flow past them without a second glance.

"Time was, every single one of these people knew your name," Martha commented as she looked around. "Now they've all forgotten you."

"Good," the Doctor said.

"For all your need to show off how clever you are, you do not handle infamy well," Rose observed.

"I do not," he replied easily. "Can you imagine how badly that would disrupt my life? Blending in would be impossible."

"Yes, because you're so good at that now," Rose snorted.

"Rose Tyler, I am _phenomenal_ at that," he said, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Riiight," she said, drawing out the word, then yelped when he reached a hand down to tickle her side.

"Wow...you two are just adorable," Jack said with a grin as the Doctor wrapped an arm around Rose's waist. "But...I should get back to work."

"Sure you don't wanna come with us?" Rose asked.

"I really don't mind," the Doctor added.

"Thanks...but no," Jack said. "Like I told Rose...I've got my team, and responsibility for once."

"Defending the Earth," the Doctor said. "Can't argue with that."

The Doctor moved to shake Jack's hand, but then pushed up his sleeve to reveal the vortex manipulator before pulling out his sonic.

"Hey, I need that!" Jack protested as the Doctor moved the sonic screwdriver over the wrist strap.

"I can't have you walking around with a time-travelling teleport," the Doctor said. "You could go anywhere."

"Twice," Rose interjected with a grin.

"Yeah, the second time to apologize," the Doctor finished, putting the screwdriver back.

"And what about me?" Jack asked. "Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die?"

"Nothing I can do," the Doctor said. "You're an impossible thing, Jack."

"I'm sorry, Jack," Rose said, once again looking contrite.

"Stop it," Jack said, chucking her under the chin. "You loved me enough to want me to live. That's not something to apologize for." He faced them fully, hand raised in a stiff salute. "Sir," he said. "Ma'ams." All three of them gave him lazy salutes, and he turned to leave. He stopped after a few steps, however, and turned back to them. "But I keep wondering…what about aging? 'Cause I can't die but I keep getting older. The odd little grey hair, you know? What happens if I live for a million years?"

"I really don't know," the Doctor said, shaking his head a little, while Rose glanced between them and chewed a nail. Everything the Face of Boe had ever said to her made complete sense now, but she still wasn't sure if she should tell the Doctor about that.

"Okay, vanity," he said with a smile. "Sorry. Yeah, can't help it. Used to be a poster boy when I was a kid back on the Boeshane Pennisula. Tiny little place. I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me. They Face of Boe they called me. Hmm…I'll see you."

He turned and ran off across the square, while the Doctor and Martha stared at his retreating back in shock.

"Can't be," Martha said.

Words from long ago on New Earth whispered through the Doctor's mind as he stared in the direction the captain had gone.

_"I know a great many things you would not expect about yourself and Miss Tyler." _

"No," he said, then turned to Rose. "No!" Rose only started chuckling lightly and giving her tongue in teeth grin. "How long have you known?" he demanded.

"Um...Platform One?" she said hesitantly.

"Platform..." He trailed off, turning back to the square, then started laughing, joined quickly by the two girls.

oOoOo

"Mum!" Martha yelled as she burst into Francine's house, and everyone quickly jumped up and surrounded her, firing questions at her and hugging her and just generally being happy she was still alive. Francine had been worried, when she'd been so quick to take off with the Doctor again, that it would be days, maybe weeks or longer, before she'd see her daughter again. Though if some of the things she'd now heard about the Doctor could be believed, it could easily have been that long for Martha anyway.

"But what happened?" Tish asked. "Where did you go?"

"We went to pick up Rose," Martha said with a grin. "See, she was never on the Valiant. When she died, she was still on Earth. So when the paradox was reversed—"

"She came back," Tish finished with a smile.

_"I promise you, Francine Jones, that her death will only make me work harder to take him down."_

"He knew," Francine murmured. "All along, he knew exactly what he was doing."

"That's why he sent me out there," Martha said, nodding.

"But he had to come up with all that in seconds," she said, stunned.

"That's the Doctor," her daughter said with a shrug.

Martha turned then as Leo started asking her something else, and Francine watched her reunited family for a moment before turning and, spotting something blue, taking a step toward the window. The Doctor was out there, leaning on that blue shed of his, one arm wrapped around the small blonde that Francine could almost recognize as he bent his head to listen to something she was saying. The blonde glanced up at the house and, catching sight of Francine, nudged the Doctor and nodded at the window. He looked up, following her gaze, then froze when he saw Francine watching them. The eyed each other warily for a moment, then a corner of his lips twitched in a small smile. After a second, she returned it, a little tightly.

She would never like the Doctor...but he had saved them all, her and her family, as well as his own, just like he'd promised, even after she'd raged at him. After everything they'd been through together, they could at least extend a little mutual respect and forgiveness.

"Mum," Leo called. "What're you standing there for? We've got champagne! A toast to the downfall of Harold Saxon!"

The Doctor gave her a small nod, almost as if he'd heard Leo, then opened the door of his blue box, ushering his wife in before following and shutting the door behind him. She turned away from the window toward her family, all fundamentally changed but at least whole again.

oOoOo

It was an hour before Martha was able to move out of her family's understandable but slightly suffocating embrace and head outside. On impulse, she called Royal Hope as she stepped outside, asking for Tom Milligan. When he answered in A&E, she smiled and snapped the phone shut without saying anything. There were better ways to introduce herself to the man willing to sacrifice himself for her after a day…but things were definitely looking up.

She stepped into the TARDIS, and the Doctor peeked around the time rotor at her as she made her way up the ramp.

"Right then!" he shouted, jumping up and dashing to the console. Rose stood more slowly and watched Martha carefully, giving her a tight smile after a moment. "Off we go! The open road! There is a burst of starfire right now over the coast of Meta Sigmafolio. Oh, the sky is like oil on water. Fancy a look? Or…back in time. We could…I don't know, Charles II? Henry VIII? I know! What about Agatha Christie? I'd love to meet Agatha Christie! I bet she's brilliant!"

"Doctor," Rose said quietly.

He glanced at her, then at Martha, who gave him a tight, sad little smile. "Okay."

"I just can't," she said.

"Yeah," he said, but he still sounded disappointed. For half a second, she wanted to smile, say she was just kidding, dash off with them again…but then she thought of her family, serving a psychopath for a year, never knowing for sure if she was alive or dead…she just couldn't do that to them again. And even if the Doctor could bring her straight back here, even if she survived all the running and adventures..._she'd_ know how long she'd been gone.

"It's just…I spent all these years training to be a doctor," she said. "Now I've got people to look after. They saw half the planet slaughtered and they're devastated. I can't leave them."

"It's okay, Martha," Rose said. "We understand. Honest."

"Thank you," the Doctor said, stepping forward to hug her. "Martha Jones, you saved the world."

"Yes, I did," she said as he released her.

"Not surprised," Rose said as she stepped forward to claim her own hug. "Told you, he only takes the best."

Martha smiled as she stepped back and looked at them. "You two gonna be all right?"

"Oh yeah," Rose said with a grin as the Doctor put an arm around her shoulders.

"Always," he said. "We've got each other. I'll take care of my family, you take care of yours."

She looked at them both for a moment, tears burning in her eyes. A year ago, he'd been this mad, fit genius in a hospital, and Rose had been a chav from the estates…and Martha herself been so, so small, so entrenched in her own tiny view of the universe. Now she'd seen what was out there, how completely strange and mad and wonderful it was, and she'd seen it all with two of the most amazing people she'd ever met, who'd completely smashed her ideas about them, the universe, and herself. She'd helped them find each other, and they'd helped her find herself.

"Right, then," she said, blinking away her tears. She took a deep breath, then pulled out her phone and handed it to the Doctor. "Keep that. 'Cause I'm not having you two disappear. If that rings—_when_ that rings, you better come running. Got it?

"Got it," they said in unison, both grinning at her.

"Until next time, Miss Jones," the Doctor said.

"I'll see you again, Mr and Mrs Tyler," she said with a grin, then walked down the ramp and out of the TARDIS, breathing in the fresh air.

She'd been running from everything when she stepped into the box…from her family, from her ambitious goals, from her roles in life…but now, she might actually be able to fix her life instead of just run from it. And she was gonna be brilliant.

oOoOo

"And then there were two," Rose said dramatically as Martha stepped out of the TARDIS, turning to face the Doctor and looping her arms loosely around his neck as his hands settled on her hips.

"Mmmm…so it would seem," he said with a smile. "The old team. Hope and Glory—"

"—Mutt and Jeff—"

"—Shiver and Shake," he finished off with a grin.

"Tell me again why you get to be Shake," Rose said, her eyes rolling up to the ceiling.

"Because I'm so good at making you shiver," he said in a husky voice, leaning down to brush his lips lightly over the skin just beneath her jaw. She sucked in a breath as she did, in fact, shiver, and he straightened up again with a cocky grin, his tongue running over his top teeth.

"You're not the only one with tricks, Mister," she said, running her fingers through his hair and making him purr before he leaned down and kissed her.

"I love you, Rose," he said as he broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers. "Always."

"Always, Doctor," she said, moving her hands down to put one over each of his hearts. "I'll love you always."

They stood like that for a moment, pulling from each other's strength. Rose was going to miss Jack and Martha, but she couldn't deny that right now, all she really wanted was to be alone with the Doctor while they both healed from the most recent trauma. They both had a fresh new batch of nightmares and demons to battle, but that's what they did—when they weren't saving worlds or universes, they were saving each other, all the time. The old team.

"Right," the Doctor said, lifting his head finally with a sniff. "Time we were off…before Francine Jones starts wondering why there's still a blue box sitting in her garden."

He gave her a kiss on the forehead and moved away, and she followed him around the console as he reached forward and pulled a lever.

Then the whole world spun.

They were both thrown back against the jump seat, the Doctor's arms automatically going around Rose protectively as the TARDIS seemed to spin around them, leaving Rose feeling dizzy and out of sorts as the Doctor heaved himself to his feet to smash a switch on the console.

"Stop it!" he shouted as the TARDIS settled—but still felt…off somehow. "Rose, you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, shaking her head a little to clear it. "What happened? What's wrong with her?"

"Dunno," he said as she stood up and moved around the console. "What was all that about, eh?"

He started moving around the console, working the controls as he tried to ascertain the problem. Rose moved to get out of his way, then froze. Another man was moving in the opposite direction of the Doctor in a similar fashion, and her jaw dropped as she saw the flash of celery on his lapel.

"What?" she cried, and both men looked up at her before catching sight of each other.

"What?" the Doctor—her Doctor—asked, staring at the man in the cream jacket.

"What?" the…other Doctor demanded, staring at him.

* * *

_**Yay! Okay, so, here's the deal...I've posted 134 chapters for this particular universe in the last five months. That doesn't even include the several I wrote but scrapped for one reason or another. And life is getting...hectic, so I need a break before I start hating the story simply because I can't keep up with my own fairly insane deadlines. So, here's what's going to happen: the story WILL continue, that was never a question. There will be a season 4, plus some...extra stuff that I'm working on. My goal for that one is to start posting by Christmas...I know that sounds like forever from now, but it's really not, and that season is...complicated, so it really needs the extra time and thought. BUT, I'm also going to write a mini-story for Time Crash/Voyage of the Damned to help bridge the gap...that'll be up by Thanksgiving. In the meantime, I'm still going to be posting the other story on Tumblr and eventually reposting it here, because edits are far less in depth and time consuming than writing a whole new story (random aside, "A Human Moment" was posted there yesterday, and is nearly twice as long as it was originally...it doesn't change the story, but it does add something...I think). So yeah. Keep me on your author alert and you'll get notified when I post the new story...I'll probably throw up a notice on the end of this one too, even though that's technically not...supposed to happen. Whatever.**_

_**Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all of you who followed this story and reviewed. It has been an absolute pleasure, and I hope to see you guys again as this series continues. Cheers!**_


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